You 're stronger than me -- that I know too well , and wiser than me , I know too well also . And , as for being my own master , I 've fared ill enough with that as yet . So whatever your ladyship pleases to order me ; for I 'm beat , and that 's the truth . '' `` Be it so then -- you may come out . But remember , disobey me again , and into a worse place still you go . '' `` I beg pardon ma'am , but I never disobeyed you that I know of . I never had the honour of setting eyes upon you till I came to these ugly quarters . '' `` Never saw me ? Who said to you , Those that will be foul , foul they will be ? '' Grimes looked up ; and Tom looked up too ; for the voice was that of the Irishwoman who met them the day that they went out together to Harthover . `` I gave you your warning then : but you gave it yourself a thousand times before and since . Every bad word that you said -- every cruel and mean thing that you did -- every time that you got tipsy -- every day that you went dirty -- you were disobeying me , whether you knew it or not . '' `` If I 'd only known , ma'am -- '' `` You knew well enough that you were disobeying something , though you did not know it was me . But come out and take your chance . Perhaps it may be your last . '' So Grimes stepped out of the chimney , and really , if it had not been for the scars on his face , he looked as clean and respectable as a master-sweep need look . `` Take him away , '' said she to the truncheon , `` and give him his ticket-of-leave . '' `` And what is he to do , ma'am ? '' `` Get him to sweep out the crater of Etna ; he will find some very steady men working out their time there , who will teach him his business : but mind , if that crater gets choked again , and there is an earthquake in consequence , bring them all to me , and I shall investigate the case very severely . '' So the truncheon marched off Mr. Grimes , looking as meek as a drowned worm .
And XXXXX aught I know , or do not know , he is sweeping the crater of Etna to this very day .
If for into of since than that though to whether