| 189 | 190 | 191 | 192 | 193 |
| 1 | 65 | 130 | 195 | 260 |
|
Mr. Hoopdriver put his hands on his knees and stuck out his elbows with
extreme angularity. In his heart he was raving at his idiotic folly at
thus bearding these lions,--indisputably they WERE lions,--but he had
to go through with it now. Heaven send, his breath, which was already
getting a trifle spasmodic, did not suddenly give out. He fixed his
eye on the face of the fat man with the chins, and spoke in a low,
impressive voice. "I came here, sir," said Mr. Hoopdriver, and paused to
inflate his cheeks, "with a lady."
"Very nice lady," said the man with the gaiters, putting his head on one
side to admire a pearl button that had been hiding behind the curvature
of his calf. "Very nice lady indeed."
"I came here," said Mr. Hoopdriver, "with a lady."
"
We saw you did, bless you," said the fat man with the chins, in
a curious wheezy voice. "I don't see there's anything so very
extraordinary in that. One 'ud think we hadn't eyes."
Mr. Hoopdriver coughed. "I came, here, sir--"
"
We've 'eard that," said the little man with the beard, sharply and went
off into an amiable chuckle. "We know it by 'art," said the little man,
elaborating the point.
191
Page
Quick Jump
|