“What a shame it is!” I said to Jack. “Can’t anything be done to stop it? He’ll be murdered right out one day.”
“’Taint no concern of yourn!” said Billy. “But I say, governor,” added he, turning to Jack, “she are a rum ’un, she are! She was a-sayin’ you was makin’ a idle young dorg of me, she says, and she’ll wait upon you, she says, and know the reason why, she says. And she says ef she ketches me messin’ about any more with my ABC, she says she’ll knock the ’ed off me. But don’t you mind ’er, she’s on’y a-jawing!”
Jack looked a good deal troubled. He had taken upon himself the welfare of this happy family in the court, and it seemed likely to cost him many an uneasy moment. Only a short time before, he had told me, he had called with Mr Hawkesbury and seen Billy’s mother, just after her release from prison, and tried to plead with her on Billy’s behalf, but, he said, you might as well talk to a griffin.
Billy appeared to be oppressed with no cares on the subject. “It’s that there penny bang,” said he, “as she’s got her back up agin. I told her as I was a shovin’ my coppers in there, and she says she’ll shove you in, governor, she says. She did swear at you, governor! It’s a game to hear her.”
“When you learn better, Billy,” said Jack, quite sternly, “you won’t talk like that of your mother.”
Billy’s face overclouded suddenly. He looked first at me, then at Jack, and finally at the boot in his hand, which he fell-to polishing till it dazzled. But Jack’s tone and look had effectually damped his spirits, and when he spoke again it was with a half whine.
“I are a larning better, governor, do you hear? I knows my letters. You ask this ’ere bloke,” pointing to me with his brush. “And them Aggers, too. I writ ’em all up on my slate, didn’t I? You tell the governor if I didn’t!”
“Yes,” I said; “you did.”
“There you are! Do you hear, governor? I’m larnin’ better. I writ all them there Aggers, I did; and I can say my d-o-g, dorg, proper, can’t I, pal? And I’ve shove my coppers in the bang, and I am larnin’.”
“I know you are,” said Jack, kindly. “Come, it’s time I got on my boots. Are they done?”