Posted by PeterH on December 08, 2006 at 19:56:08 from 86.130.133.35 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: the 'people's sheep' factor (was UHT milk posted by Adam Quinan on December 08, 2006 at 16:15:16:
What did the porter call out when trying to find Roger at the station to launch the pigeon in Pigeon Post? Wasn't it Master Roger Walker?
No, it was: 'Mr Walker . . . Mr Roger Walker . . .', but this makes sense because the porter would not have known what age Roger was until he responded.
And BTW, Susan was addressed as 'Miss Susan' directly in Swallowdale:
'Well, Miss Susan, and where's your can?'
With regard to 'Master John', Mrs Dixon would have known his name - she knew Susan's. So would Cook. However, I agree that the wider circle of locals would not have known. AR could legitimately argue that he only used 'Miss Susan' because she was (literally) carrying the can when the Swallows visited Dixon's, so it made sense for Mrs D to address her directly by name. But I still feel that 'Miss Susan' rolls off the tongue far more easily than 'Master John'. I also feel that the use of 'Miss' is not totally subservient here - I detect a very slight irony, in that Mrs D is addressing Susan as a sort of proto-adult, 'Miss Susan', and her tongue is very slightly, and affectionately, in her cheek. It's a North Country thing, as is the fact that Mrs D refers to her husband as 'Dixon'.
Someone could do an MA thesis on all this . . .