"Supposing--" said he, and stopped.
"Well?" I inquired, and, leaning upon my hammer, I looked him
square in the eye.
"Supposing--wot are you a-staring at, my feller?"
"You have said 'supposing' twice--well?"
"Well," said he, fixing his eye upon the bellows again,
"supposing you was to make a guinea over an' above your wages
this week?"
"I should be very much surprised," said I.
"You would?"
"I certainly should."
"Then--why not surprise yourself?"
"You must speak more plainly," said I.
"Well then," said the Postilion, still with his gaze abstracted,
"supposin' I was to place a guinea down on that there anvil o'
yours--would that 'elp you to remember where Number Two--'er
--might be?"
"No!"
"It wouldn't?"
"No!"
"A guinea's a lot o' money!"
"It is," I nodded.
"An' you say it wouldn't?"
"It would not!" said I.
"Then say--oh! say two pun' ten an' 'ave done with it."
"No!" said I, shaking my head.
"What--not--d'ye say 'no' to two pun' ten?"
"I do."
"Well, let's say three pound."
I shook my head and, drawing the iron from the fire, began to
hammer at it.
"Well then," shouted the Postilion, for I was making as much din
as possible, "say four--five--ten--fifteen--twenty-five--fifty!"
Here I ceased hammering.
"Tell me when you've done!" said I.
"You're a cool customer, you are--ah! an' a rum un' at that--I
never see a rummer."
"Other people have thought the same," said I, examining the
half-finished horseshoe ere I set it back in the fire.
"Sixty guineas!" said the Postilion gloomily.
"Come again!" said I.
"Seventy then!" said he, his gloom deepening.
"Once more!" said I.
"A 'undred--one 'undred guineas!" said he, removing his hat to
mop at his brow.
"Any more?" I inquired.
"No!" returned the Postilion sulkily, putting on his hat, "I'm
done!"
"Did he set the figure at a hundred guineas?" said I.
"'Im--oh! 'e's mad for 'er, 'e is--'e'd ruin 'isself, body and
soul, for 'er, 'e would, but I ain't goin' to ofer no more; no
woman as ever breathed--no matter 'ow 'andsome an' up-standin'
--is worth more 'n a 'undred guineas--it ain't as if she was a
blood-mare--an' I'm done!"