"Beer or whisky?" 'e sed, when I wos arf way through.
"Both," I answered, and 'e laughed as 'e put a bottle o' beer and 'arf a tumbler of whisky afore me. I finished the beer and put the whisky atop of it. It warmed me, I can tell yer.
"Now for business," he sed; "but fust go into that bath room, and wash the dirt off your 'ands." I got 'em as clean as I could, and then 'e sed, "There's a pack o' cards on the mantelshelf. Let's 'ave a game o' piquet."
I stared at 'im, and sed I didn't know the game.
"I'll learn it yer," he sed. "You beat me at billiards; I want to see if yer can beat me at piquet."
"I ain't got no money to lose," sed I.
"We'll play for nuts," sed 'e with a wink.
'E told me all the pints of the game, and in 'arf-a-hour I 'ad it at my fingers' ends, and knew as much about it as 'e did 'isself.
"D'yer want me to play on the square?" I arst.
"I want to see 'ow yer can palm the cards," he answered. "I told yer at Windsor yesterday that the job I 'ad to orfer yer wos to pick feathers. A fat pigeon, with feathers of gold. Do yer twig?"