"Nor do I pretend to sing—"
"Then why do 'ee try now?"
"For company's sake."
"Well, I don't like it; I've 'ad enough of it."
"Then," said I, "suppose you listen to what I have to say?"
"Not by no manner o' means."
"Then what do you propose to do?"
"Why," said the smith, rising and stretching himself, "since you ax me,
I'm a-goin' to pitch you out o' yon door."
"You may try, of course," said I, measuring the distance between us with my eye, "but if you do, seeing you are so much the bigger and stronger man, I shall certainly fetch you a knock with this staff of mine which I think you will remember for many a day."
So saying, I rose and stepped out into the middle of the floor. Black George eyed me slowly up from the soles of my boots to the crown of my hat and down again, picked up his hammer in an undecided fashion, looked it over as if he had never seen such a thing before, tossed it into a corner, and, seating himself on the anvil, folded his arms. All at once a merry twinkle leapt into the blue depths of his eyes, and I saw the swift gleam of a smile.