“Who said anything about muzzle?” cried Ramball tetchily. “I said puggamaree—and that if I’d buy them, he’d dress up, and that he’d got a property to finish it all up fine. Well, I’d never seen any property that he’d got except a few things in a very shabby old carpet-bag that I wouldn’t have picked up off the street. Still, I couldn’t help thinking that him in a white bed-gown and a red turban on his head, cocked up there on the elephant’s neck, wouldn’t make a bad picture; so I said I would, and the very next week when we had paraded for a procession to go through one of the pottery towns and draw the people in, Mr Bah Klay came out in what he called his property. Ah, and he done it well! He’d washed his face in walnut juice, and his hands too. There he was in his white bed-gown and scarlet puggaree turban thing, and round his waist he’d got on a yellow leathern belt all dekkyrated with gold and buckled on with three great green glass ornaments that twinkled in the sun like hooray.”
Singh started, his lips dropped apart, and he made a snatch at Glyn’s wrist just as his companion clutched him by the arm, and the lads stood gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Yes, gents, I tell you he looked fine, and it would have done your hearts good to see him. That there idea of his put steady vittles into his mouth and a few shillings a week into his pockets; but it always puzzled me why, him being so hard-up, he hadn’t tried to sell that there belt. I said so to him one day, but he only gave a curious kind of grin and said he should have done so, but nobody would buy it, for it wasn’t real. Well, of course I never supposed it was, being a theaytrical kind of property. Still, I don’t suppose it was made for less than a five-pun note. Well, gentlemen,” cried Ramball, rising slowly and giving his head a final dab, “I must be off. I go back to Brummagem again this afternoon, and all the better for seeing you two gents; so if you will shake hands, your sarvint to command, Titus Ramball, of the Imperial Wide World Menagerie.”
The two lads shook hands heartily, but they were too full of thought to say much; and as the visitor went in one direction, they slipped over the palings and sat down with their backs against the fence to have a good long talk, for Fate seemed to have provided them with a subject upon which they could discourse; and it was this:
There was the criminal, almost within touch, for they had only to give notice to the police and the Professor would be lodged in jail for theft.
“And what then?” said Singh slowly. “I wouldn’t have that belt again if it were brought to me. And what was it your father said about the Professor being punished?”
“Oh! about the punishment coming when he found that he had made himself a thief to get something that was not worth the pains.”
“Yes,” said Singh, “but not in those words. Then we don’t want to punish the miserable cheat any more.”
“And do harm to droll old Ramball,” said Glyn. “My word, though, I should almost like to go to Birmingham and suddenly come upon the Professor riding upon old Rajah’s neck!”
“Pah!” exclaimed Singh, with his lip curling and a look of disgust in his eyes, “I shouldn’t like to see the miserable creature for the poor elephant’s sake. Here, let’s go and tell Mr Morris.”