pishly ; « do it on my head. What do you think an old — » (he checked himself, and went on hastily) — « an old pressman like me and cant write the New Humour ? Why, so I have — many a time ». Here he glanced down his coat, which lacked all its buttons save one, and concluded :
« I ain’t thriven over it, — no, — and why ? Because this bloomin’ world simply plays pitch and toss with us — and I’ve corne down tails — and you can’t help it, and neither can I. » (He was a philosopher after all.) « But as to writing (if that’s what you call it) the New Humour, — look here, give me half-a-quid » (see Gloss. — Ed.) « and a couple of hours, and I’ll hand you a bit of the real New Humour, all about landladies, and lodgers, and such-like — quite the regular thing. And you can publish it if you give me the crédit for it. I sign myself The Yak — I’m well-known about here under that style » (which was certainly mystic although a little suggestive).
We were so tickled by this that we duly concluded a contract with him, gave him our card, and two hours and twenty minutes afterwards The Yak handed in a package to Sam our concierge, and received his half-a quid. Furthermore, being a sociable mann, he invited Sam
