If he brings a bottle we'll find our lot, and
he'll be just as jolly as he is at Billy Devine's. What say to come down
to-night?"
"All right, only not too late."
At twelve we departed, and I was taken to a row of low cottages, which,
however, were fairly solid and neat. At first we sat in a kitchen, and I
was accommodated with a tub for a seat. Our light came from the fire and
a dull lamp, which only made a reddened twilight in the air. The fat
woman watched me like a cat, and I fancied that her mouth was like that
of a carnivorous beast. The sly old man looked on the ground, but his
stealthy eye--like the eye of a cunning magpie--glittered sometimes as
he turned it on me. Blackey was most cordial, and soon proposed a song.
He obliged first, and warbled some ghastly affair which aimed at being
nautical in sentiment. The chorus contained some observations like
"Hilley-hiley-Hilley-ho," and it also gave us the information that
gentleman named Jack would shortly come home from the sea. The thing was
a silly Cockney travesty of a sailor's song, but we were all pleased
with it, and it led the way nicely to the girl's ditty, which stated
that somebody was going sailing, sailing, over the bounding main
(sailors always mention the sea as the bounding main), and by easy steps
we got to the fat woman's "Banks of Hallan Worrrtter.
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