“Lordy! Lordy!” muttered Ted. “I will have to show him the spring. Why, don’t you see, Sir William, any watch has a spring in it? A man who is thirsty can wet his whistle at a spring.”
Still it was some moments before Billy managed to grasp the point. When he did he suddenly hit his knee a slap and gave a shout:
“By Jove!” he exclaimed[exclaimed]. “That’s a good one, don’t y’ ’now!”
“How wonderfully quick you are to catch on!” chuckled Ted. “But I know another good one.”
“Go a’ead and give hit to hus,” urged the Cockney youth.
“What’s the hardest kind of soap?” asked Ted.
“The ’ardest kind?” repeated Bill. “Why, there’s lots of ’ard soaps.”
“But what’s the hardest kind?” persisted Ted. “Give it up?”
“Hi suppose Hi’ll ’ave to. What his the ’ardest kind hof soap?”
“Why, Castile, of course. Don’t you see, Sir William—cast-steel soap must be very hard.”