“Yaas; I knows the animal!”
“And you know Mr Smith?”
“What! my governor? He ain’t no concern of yourn,” retorted the boy, firing up a little at this liberty taken with his “governor’s” name.
Mr Barnacle gazed curiously at the strange urchin through his spectacles, and then resumed, in as coaxing a tone as he could assume, “You know a person called Masham, do you?”
“Yaas; I knows ’im.”
“What sort of person is he?”
“What sort? Why, he are a beauty, so I tell you!”
“Yes; but I mean, what sort of looking man? Is he tall or short? Has he dark hair or light? Would you know him if you saw him?”
“Know him? Oh no—no fear—I know the beauty!”
“Well, what sort of looking man is he?” asked Mr Barnacle.