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'
I,' repeated Short emphatically and slowly, 'am not a-going to stand it.
I am not a-going to see this fair young child a falling into bad hands,
and getting among people that she's no more fit for, than they are to
get among angels as their ordinary chums. Therefore when they
dewelope an intention of parting company from us, I shall take
measures for detaining of 'em, and restoring 'em to their friends, who I
dare say have had their disconsolation pasted up on every wall in
London by this time.'
'Short,' said Mr Codlin, who with his head upon his hands, and his
elbows on his knees, had been shaking himself impatiently from side
to side up to this point and occasionally stamping on the ground, but
who now looked up with eager eyes; 'it's possible that there may be
uncommon good sense in what you've said. If there is, and there
should be a reward, Short, remember that we're partners in
everything!'
His companion had only time to nod a brief assent to this position, for
the child awoke at the instant. They had drawn close together during
the previous whispering, and now hastily separated and were rather
awkwardly endeavouring to exchange some casual remarks in their
usual tone, when strange footsteps were heard without, and fresh
company entered.
These were no other than four very dismal dogs, who came pattering
in one after the other, headed by an old bandy dog of particularly
mournful aspect, who, stopping when the last of his followers had got
as far as the door, erected himself upon his hind legs and looked
round at his companions, who immediately stood upon their hind
legs, in a grave and melancholy row. Nor was this the only remarkable
circumstance about these dogs, for each of them wore a kind of little
coat of some gaudy colour trimmed with tarnished spangles, and one
of them had a cap upon his head, tied very carefully under his chin,
which had fallen down upon his nose and completely obscured one
eye; add to this, that the gaudy coats were all wet through and
discoloured with rain, and that the wearers were splashed and dirty,
and some idea may be formed of the unusual appearance of these new
visitors to the Jolly Sandboys.
Neither Short nor the landlord nor Thomas Codlin, however, was in
the least surprised, merely remarking that these were Jerry's dogs and
that Jerry could not be far behind. So there the dogs stood, patiently
winking and gaping and looking extremely hard at the boiling pot,
until Jerry himself appeared, when they all dropped down at once and
walked about the room in their natural manner. This posture it must
be confessed did not much improve their appearance, as their own
personal tails and their coat tails - both capital things in their way -
did not agree together.
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