“‘I won’t be bit at all,’ ses Russet, very sharp, ‘mind that, Sam. It’s my belief Beauty’s gone mad.’
“‘Hush,’ ses Ginger, and they ’eard Ted Reddish and ’is wife coming back. They came in, sat down agin, and after Ted ’ad ’ad another good look at the wild man and prodded ’im all over an’ looked at ’is teeth, he spoke up and said they’d decided to give a ’undered pun for ’im at the end o’ three days if ’e suited.
“‘I s’pose,’ ses Sam, looking at the others, ‘that we could ’ave a bit of it now to go on with?’
“‘It’s agin our way of doing business,’ ses Ted Reddish. ‘If it ’ud been a lion or a tiger we could, but wild men we never do.’
“‘The thing is,’ ses Mrs. Reddish, as the wild man started on Russet’s leg and was pulled off by Sam and Ginger, ‘where to put ’im.’
“‘Why not put ’im in with the black leopard?’ ses her ’usband.
“‘There’s plenty o’ room in his cage,’ says ’is wife thoughtfully, ‘and it ’ud be company for ’im too.’
“‘I don’t think the wild man ’ud like that,’ ses Ginger.
“‘I’m sartain sure ’e wouldn’t,’ says old Sam, shaking ’is ’ead.
“‘Well, we must put ’im in a cage by hisself, I s’pose,’ ses Reddish, ‘but we can’t be put to much expense. I’m sure the money we spent in cat’s meat for the last wild man we ’ad was awful.’