" 'This is my sound boxie that Janet gave me.' Tom told him the first time they met. 'It is a wonderful contrivance, if you'll be minding to get its battery from the garratch at the smiddy on Saturdays. It's a sort of engine, like. You would be knowing about it maybe?'
'A little.' said Twice, who is an engineer by profession.
'When you'll be turning this knobbie, you can hear the mannie as plain as if he was beside you, and him speaking in a roomie away down in London. It is a wonderful thing. But av coorse, only if you'll be using it for a good purpose. If a person will be using it for badness, like that mannie Hitler was doing, it is a very bad thing indeed. Being chust an engine, like, it has no more sense, and some of the capers and nonsense that will be coming out of it whiles, you chust would hardly believe.' "
From My Friends the Miss Boyds
(Having been on the 'sound boxie' a few times myself, I hope I'm not responsible for any 'capers and nonsense'!).
