“Want to try puppy-pie again?” said Smith, grinning.
“I want to do something for a change. I know! I’ll go and see the doctor, and tell him we want a walk in the country to collect flowers, and ask him if he’ll name them.”
“Well, he can’t give us leave.”
“No; but he’ll ask Dishy to let us off.”
“Bravo!” cried Smith. “Off you go. I say, though, we must have old Ching too. You see if he don’t come out in his new gown!”
“What new gown?” I said.
“Hallo! didn’t you know? He went ashore yesterday and bought himself a new blue coat. Not a cotton one, but silk, real silk, my boy, and beckoned me to come and see it,—beckoned with one of his long claws. He’s letting his fingernails grow now, and getting to be quite a swell.”
“Oh yes; old Ching’s getting quite the gentleman. He says he wrote home to his broker to sell the fancee shop. What do you think he said, Gnat?”
“How should I know?” I replied.
“That it wasn’t proper for a gentleman in Queen Victolia’s service to keep a fancee shop.”