I obeyed, feeling sure Peter was up to some lark. About five minutes after, the door was opened, not by Peter, but by a black man in a white jacket.
He sprang back in amazement when he saw me.
“You must be de debbil, sah,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied, “but you’re more of his colour.”
The explanation is this: after calling for beer and sherbet, Peter, who knew the landlord, having been here before, said—
“Now, Mr Brown, you see this young gentleman,” alluding to Jill.
“Yes, sah,” said Mr Brown, “pertiklerly handsom boy, sah.”
“True,” said Peter, “but his chief peculiarity is his ubiquitousness.”
“Yes, sah, sure ’nuff, sah; come to look again, he is rather obliquitous.”
“He can go through a key-hole.”