off?"

"Once I lelled it avree an' never chivved it apre ajaw."

(_I.e_., "Once I took it off and never put it on again.")

"How was that?"

"Yeckorus when I was a tano mush, thirty besh kenna--rummed about pange
besh, but with kek chavis--I jalled to the prasters of the graias at
Brighton. There was the paiass of wussin' the pasheros apre for wongur,
an' I got to the pyass, an' first cheirus I lelled a boro bittus--twelve
or thirteen bar. Then I nashered my wongur, an' penned I wouldn't pyass
koomi, an' I'd latch what I had in my poachy. Adoi I jalled from the
gudli 'dree the toss-ring for a pashora, when I dicked a waver mush, an'
he putched mandy, 'What bak?' and I penned pauli, 'Kek bak; but I've got
a bittus left.' So I wussered with lester an' nashered saw my covvas--my
chukko, my gad, an' saw, barrin' my rokamyas. Then I jalled kerri with
kek but my rokamyas an--I borried a chukko off my pen's chavo.

"And when my juva dickt'omandy pash-nango, she pens, 'Dovo's tute's
heesis?' an' I pookered her I'd been a-koorin'. But she penned, 'Why,
you haven't got your hovalos an; you didn't koor tute's hovalos avree?'
'No,' I rakkered; 'I taddered em offus. (The mush played me with a dui-
sherro poshero.)

"But dree the sala, when the mush welled to lel avree the jucko (for I'd
nashered dovo ajaw), I felt wafrodearer than when I'd nashered saw the
waver covvas. An' my poor juva ruvved ajaw, for she had no chavo. I had
in those divvuses as kushti coppas an' heesus as any young Gipsy in
Anglaterra--good chukkos, an' gads, an' pongdishlers.

"An' that mush kurried many a geero a'ter mandy, but he never lelled no
bak. He'd chore from his own dadas; but he mullered wafro adree East
Kent."

"Once when I was a young man, thirty years ago (now)--married about five
years, but with no children--I went to the races at Brighton. There was
tossing halfpence for money, and I took part in the game, and at first
(first time) I took a good bit--twelve or thirteen pounds. Then I lost
my money, and said I would play no more, and would keep what I had in my
pocket. Then I went from the noise in the toss-ring for half an hour,
when I saw another man, and he asked me, 'What luck?' and I replied, 'No
luck; but I've a little left yet.' So I tossed with him and lost all my
things--my coat, my shirt, and all, except my breeches. Then I went home
with nothing but my breeches on--I borrowed a coat of my sister's boy.

"And wh