Down the road Percival chattered brightly to Egbert, holding his hand. "I jump like this," he explained, capering along, "because I pretend I'm a horse. Then if you want me to walk quietly you only have to say 'whoa!' you see."
"Whoa!" said Egbert very promptly.
Percival's legs itched to jump out the animation that events had bottled into him. "Did you say 'gee up'?" he presently inquired.
"No," said Egbert.
"Oh," said Percival, and with a little sigh repeated "oh!"
Egbert felt the appeal. "Fac' of it is, that jumping jerks me up."
"Got another sick headache, have you?"
"Crool," said the living martyr to 'em.
Percival took another phrase of Aunt Maggie: "You must be thor'ly out of sorts, I think."
"Got one foot in the grave, that's what I've got," Egbert agreed. "Fac'."