"You'd better hurry up with that fairy tale," said the boy. "If you've got to, you've got to, you know; and you won't keep me much once I get some cartridges."
Jeconiah began to look alarmed.
"But I haven't found one yet," he said, and glanced anxiously at the pile of telegrams.
"Make one up, then," said the boy. "Anybody can do it."
Thus adjured, Jeconiah started.
"Once upon a time there was a very grizzly old bear, and he lived in a beautiful place called Capel Court, and he used to hunt the wild bulls and the stags and the poor little guinea pigs that abounded in that salubrious locality. And there were two young ladies there, called Cora and Dora. . . ."
"Are those the princesses?" asked the boy.
"No, I think not," said Jeconiah. "They were of quite ordinary stock. Well, the old bear thought they were too high and mighty, and that he would like to take them down a point or two. . . ."
"Oh, this won't do," said the Urchin rudely. "This isn't a real fairy tale at all. You must do something better than that."
The wretched Jeconiah groaned, and looked again at his telegrams. Then he started afresh.