The youth addressed as Edward fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the key of his locker, which he handed to my master.
“That’s the boy! Here’s a kay, Duck darlint, since ye want one.”
Duck was rude enough to laugh immoderately at this—so much so, that my master, who was unconscious of a joke, grew quite angry.
“Ef that’s all ye can do—gape like an ould money-box—I can do that as well myself; so hand up the watch!”
Duck Downie laughed again at this, and then said,—
“I want the key of the watch, puddin’-head, not this thing!”
“Arrah, it’s got no kay, I tell ye. What ud it want a kay for?”
Duck laughed again at this.
“Paddy,” said he, “next time you borrow a gentleman’s watch be sure you ask ’im for the key, do you hear? You want the key to wind the thing up—that’s why he don’t go.”
Paddy, who had sense enough to see that Mr Downie knew more about a watch than he did, held his peace, and took no trouble to refute the imputation on the way in which he had come by me.