Well, whin they heard that an’ about the chains they wor tuck wid a curiosity to see him. But no, sorrow a sight would wan-leg give them.
“It ud be high thrayson,” says he, “to make a show of a baste that’s the Royal property, and av it kem to the Lord Leftinint’s ears he might cut the head off the propriethur;” and in coorse this made them all the more rampagious to get a look at the baste.
How and however, at last he purtinded to come round.
“I durstn’t show him to yez,” says he, “but there’s a chink here convanient to the door, and if any lady or gintleman gives me tuppence more ov coorse I can’t purwint them from peeping through it;” the cunning bla-guard knowin’ well in his heart that all they could see by raison of the darkness was the tip of Jack’s nose and the knees of his small-clothes as he lay doubled up foreninst them.
As ye may guess, the tuppences kem in middlin’ lively, and the people was five deep at the chink in a brace of shakes.
“Oh, dear, oh!” says one, “do ye mind his eye. It’s as red as a coal o’ fiyer.”
“Hut, man, that’s his nose,” says another.
“An’ the big legs he has of his own!” says another.
“Are they sthriped?” says one in the back, “I’m told tigyers is sthriped all over.”
“Bedad, they are,” says the other, “for all the world like cordheroy.”