There was the sound of shuffling footsteps, accompanied by that of a hollow cough, then a miserable-looking, undersized youth with a crutch under one arm became visible.
“You come here, Aaron, just as a witness to this here bit of business,” said the cobbler. “Now then, young ladies and gentlemen,” he continued, turning to the party, which was fast filling up his small shop, “you want to know, I understand, what I’ll charge for the thrush what you saw in the cage outside my door.”
A look of startled surprise leapt into the cripple’s face, and his lips jerked as if he were about to protest, but his eye met his father’s, and what he would have said remained unspoken.
“How much I’ll take for the thrush, that’s what you want to know, eh?”
“Yes, you old stick-in-the-mud,” cried the boys, “haven’t we said so a dozen times? Hurry up and give us an answer.”
“All in good time,” said Jonas, quietly. “You’ve heard that, Aaron?”
“Yes, father,” said the boy. There was a look on his face now of mingled expectation and amusement, which puzzled the girls and irritated the boys not a little.
“Repeat it after me, my lad,” said Jonas, “when parties are entering into a contract, ’specially where they’re all strangers, one can’t be too partiklar as to the terms of a bargain.”
Aaron obeyed dutifully, whilst Phil whispered to Jack that if the old “demon” went on much longer at this sort of game they would have recourse to different measures.
“Now tell us the price,” said Andrew, “or it’ll be the worse for you.”