“Bust de catch wit me jemmy,” he whispered shamefacedly.
“Burst the catch with your jemmy?”
“It’s de only way I ever learned,” pleaded Spike.
The expert was silent. He seemed to be thinking. The other watched his face humbly.
“How would youse do it, boss?” he ventured timidly, at last.
“Eh?”
“How would youse do it?”
“Why, I’m not sure,” said the master graciously, “whether your way might not do in a case like that. It’s crude, of course, but with a few changes it would do.”
“Gee, boss! Is dat right?” queried the astonished disciple.
“It would do,” said the master, frowning thoughtfully. “It would do quite well—quite well.”