Will gulp you down a castle wall,
As easily as, at Guildhall,
An alderman eats custard."
"Drop your stupid Percy anecdote poems, Corry, and listen to this," cried the dominie, as he sang:—
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme grows,
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme grows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violets blow,
Where oxlips linger, nodding violets blow,
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme grow-ow-ow-ow-ows!!!
The lawyer joined in the chorus, encored the song, and trolled "ow ow ow ow ows" until the blood vessels over his brain pan demanded a rest. "Wilks," he said, "you're a thing of beauty and a joy forever."