me more than my money's worth; I believe, however, there is
something more in the cart.' Thereupon I rummaged the further
end of the cart, and, amidst a quantity of straw, I found a
small anvil, and bellows of that kind which are used in forges,
and two hammers, such as smiths use--one great and the other
small."
Here the author remains for a few days tinkering at his kettles, and
wholly uninterrupted, until he is surprised by the visit of a young
gipsy girl. The scene which follows is sufficiently absurd. The girl
wants to get a kettle from him, and patters Rommany, which choice
dialect Mr Borrow pretends not to understand. At last, however, he
presents her with the culinary implement, and astonishes her by
singing a part of that dainty ditty about dukkeripen, hokkeripen, and
lachipen, which we have inserted above. He had much better have kept
his accomplishments to himself; but we suppose the temptation was
irresistible. Indeed, judging from the various instances which are
chronicled in this book, it would appear that Lavengro made a regular
practice, in his intercourse with every one, to maintain the semblance
of considerable ignorance and simplicity, until some opportunity
occurred, when he could let off his bottled knowledge with astounding
effect. We question the wisdom of this method in any point of view,
and under any circumstance. In the present case he paid dear for the
untimely exhibition of his lore.
"The girl, who had given a slight start when I began, remained
for some time after I had concluded the song, standing
motionless as a statue, with the kettle in her hand. At
length she came towards me, and stared me full in the face.
'Grey, tall, and talks Rommany,' said she to herself. In her
countenance there was an expression which I had not seen
before--an expression which struck me as being composed of
fear, curiosity, and the deepest hate. It was momentary,
however, and was succeeded by one smiling, frank, and open.
'Ha, ha, brother,' said she, 'well, I like you all the
better for talking Rommany; it is a sweet language, isn't
it?--especially as you sing it. How did you pick it up? But you
picked it up on the roads, no doubt? Ha, it was funny in you
to pretend not to know it, and you so flush with it all the
time; it was not kind in you, however, to frighten the poor
person's child so by screaming out; but it was kind in you to
give the rikkeni kekaubi to the child of the poor person. She
will be grateful to you--she will bring you her little dog to
show you--her pretty juggal; the poor person's child will come
and see you again; you are not going away to-day, I hope, or
to-morrow, pretty brother, grey-haired brother--you are not
going away to-morrow, I hope?'
'Nor the next day,' said I; 'only to take a stroll to see if
I can sell a kettle. Good-bye, little sister, Rommany sister,
dingy sister.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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