“Come, sir,” returned Disco, with a deprecatory smile, “don’t be too hard on a poor feller’s pipe. If you can’t enjoy it, that’s no argiment against it.”
“How d’you know I can’t enjoy it?”
“Why? cos I s’pose you’d take to it if you did.”
“Did you enjoy it when you first began?” asked Harold.
“Well, I can’t ’zactly say as I did.”
“Well, then, if you didn’t, that proves that it is not natural to smoke, and why should I acquire an unnatural and useless habit?”
“Useless! why, sir, on’y think of wot you loses by not smokin’—wot a deal of enjoyment!”
“Well, I am thinking,” replied Harold, affecting a look of profound thoughtfulness, “but I can’t quite make it out—enjoyment? let me see. Do I not enjoy as good health as you do?”
“O, cer’nly, sir, cer’nly. You’re quite up to the mark in that respect.”
“Well then, I enjoy my food as well, and can eat as much, can’t I?”