ow to Aunt Amanda, and another
one to Freddie.

"Come in, Mr. Punch," said Toby, "you don't need to hold them cigars any
longer. Give 'em to me." And he took them from Mr. Punch and laid them
on the table. He then went to Mr. Punch and linked his arm in his, and
the two hunchbacks stepped forward together and stood before Aunt
Amanda.

"Allow me to present my friend Mr. Punch," said Toby. "Just as I was
coming in, I heard a voice sing out 'Punch!' from the church-tower, and
Mr. Punch stepped down from his perch, and I invited him to come in, and
here we are."

"Good hevening, marm," said Mr. Punch. His voice sounded harsh, as if
his throat were rusty. "Good hevening, young sir. Hit's wery pleasant
within-doors, wery pleasant indeed; Hi carn't s'y it's so blooming
agreeable hout there on my box, hall d'y and hall night; the gaslight is
wery welcome to me poor heyes, I assure you, marm. Hi trust I see you
well, marm."

"Mercy on us!" said Aunt Amanda, who had been speechless with
astonishment. "Freddie, it's Mr. Punch himself, bless me if it ain't!"

Freddie edged a little closer to Aunt Amanda, for he was afraid Mr.
Punch might snatch him up and carry him off to his father in the tower.
Mr. Punch noticed this.

"'Ave no fear, me good sir," said Mr. Punch, his wide mouth expanding
in a smile, almost to his ears. "Hi sharn't see me father this night,
hif me kind friends will permit me to enjoy their society for a brief
period, together with their charmin' gaslight, which it is wery dim hall
night in the street and quite hunsatisfactory, accordingly most pleased
to haccept me friend Toby's kind 'ospitality, Hi assure you. One grows
quite cramped in one's legs and one's harms when one 'as to remain in
one position on one's box hall night, unless one's father should tyke
hit into 'is 'ead to call one hup for a bit of a lark, and one can never
be sure of one's father's 'aving it in 'is 'ead to call one hup, to s'y
nothing of one's fingers coming stiffer and stiffer with one's parcel of
cigars 'eld out in one's 'and, and no 'at on one's 'ead, and no 'air on
one's 'ead to defend one against the hevening hair, with one's nose
dropping hicicles in winter, so that one never knows when one will lose
one's nose off of one's fyce----"

"Excuse me," said Aunt Amanda. It was evident that Mr. Punch was a
talkative person. "Are you an Englishman?"

"Ho lor' miss, indeed!" said Mr. Punch. "A Henglishman as ever was, Hi
assure yo