which he carolled cheerfully, making the hoopoes cock their crests and hold their heads on one side to listen.
Jerry sate looking at them thoughtfully. 'I was afwaid you must be, 'cos, you see, it's such ages ago,' he said at last, argumentatively. 'Ages an' ages. I wasn't even near borned then. How much older'n me d'you s'ppose you are, sir?'
It was Jân-Ali-shân's turn to look at Heaven's messenger-birds thoughtfully, and admire their golden crowns. Then he drew his white drill cuffs down over his tanned wrists, as if to hide as much of himself as was possible.
'Older?' he echoed. 'Why-six-an'-thirty year, I should say; six-an'-thirty year o' constant wickedness--that's about it, sir--o' constant wickedness, please God!' He hovered over a penitential response in a minor key, and then nodded at the child cheerfully. 'But don't you fret, sir. There ain't no call for it. You're all right--your time'll come; only you must grow a bit more, or you wouldn't never fill a grave like this--would 'e, Budlu?'
He laid his hand on the tombstone and smiled; so did Budlu and the chuprassi, uncomprehendingly; so, reluctantly, did Jerry.
'It's an orful time to wait,' he said regretfully, 'an' there's goin' to be a row quite soon. Dad doesn't say so, but he thinks it; for I heard 'em talking of what they'd have to do if there was one; but they hadn't settled when Miss Dwummond came for me. What do you think would be the best thing, Mr. Ellison?'
'Lick 'em, sir, for sure,' replied Jân-Ali-shân succinctly.
Jerry's face flushed sharply, almost with vexation.
'Oh! of course, we'd lick 'em; but I meant what kind of things, just to show 'em, you know, that--that----' he paused, as he often did, bewildered by his own thoughts.
'Show 'em?' echoed John Ellison. 'Show 'em? Why! show 'em, that it's "as you was!" That there ain't no change. That it's still flags flyin' an'