"How do you know I'm too old for sorterthing?" said Dick, with an offended air.
"Well, you're not a young man any longer, you know. You ought to behave like the steady old buffer you look."
"Why?" demanded Dick; "why should I behave like shteady ole buffer, when I don't feel shteady ole buffer? What do you want shpoil fun for? Tell you I shall do jus' zackly wharriplease. And, if you shay any more, I'll punch y' head!"
"No, no," said his uncle, slightly alarmed at this intimation. "Come, you're not going to quarrel with me, I'm sure!"
"All ri'," said Dick. "No; I won' quarrel. Don' wanter quarrel anybody."
"That's right," said Paradine. "I knew you were a noble fellow!"
"Sho I am," said Dick, shaking hands with effusion. "Sho are you. Nearly ash noble 'sh me. There, you're jolly good fellow. I say, I've goo' mind tell you something. Make you laugh. But I won't; not now."
"Oh, you can tell me," said Marmaduke. "No secrets between friends, you know."
"Shan't tell you now," said Dick. "Keep shecret little longer."
"Do you know, my friend, that there's something very odd about you I've noticed lately? Something that makes me almost fancy sometimes you're not what you pretend to be."