“You’re a paper-hanger, ain’t you?” he said.
“Paper-hanger and deteckative,” said his host proudly. “My name is Mister P. Gubb, graduate of the Rising Sun Deteckative Agency’s Correspondence School of Deteckating in twelve lessons. And paper-hanging done in a neat manner.”
Chi Foxy held out his hand eagerly.
“Shake, pard!” he asked. “That’s my line, too.”
“Paper-hanging?” asked Philo Gubb.
“Detecting,” said Chi Foxy promptly. “I’m one of the most famousest gum-shoe fellers in the world. Me and this here great detective feller—what’s his name, now?—used to work team-work together.”
“Burns?” suggested Philo Gubb.
“Holmes,” said Chi Foxy, “Shermlock Holmes. Me and him pulled off all them big jobs you maybe have read about in the papers.”
He pronounced the name of the celebrated detective of fiction “Shermlock Hol-lums.”
“Oh, yes,” said the tramp, “me and Shermlock is great chums. And me and the kid!”