A simple question about Emily

[jeffrey]

Emily is one important character in the novel. My question is Why it is spelled Em'ly rather than the proper spelling Emily? I have read Through the whole story and guess it has something with British accent. But why in other places it is still spelled Em'ly?

Looking foreward to an early reply.

[Drwatson]

It is because of the accent of those living in that part of England. Dickens writes those characters as speaking in a lower class manner to accentuate the fact that they are just simple fisherman. Examples 'fur' for 'for' etc