A bell-hanger.
Dunnovans Potatoes.
Fay (_vulgarly_ fee) Meat.

Our informant declared that there are vulgar forms of certain words.

Gladdher Ring the changes (cheat in change).

"No minkler would have a bewr who couldn't gladdher."

Reesbin Prison.
Tre-moon Three months, a 'drag.'
Rauniel, Runniel Beer.
Max Spirits (slang).
Chiv Knife. (Romany, a pointed knife, _i.e. tongue_.)
Thari To speak or tell.

"I tharied the soobri I sonnied him." (I told the man I saw him.)

Mushgraw.

Our informant did not know whether this word, of Romany origin, meant, in
Shelta, policeman or magistrate.

Scri, scree To write.

Our informant suggested _scribe_ as the origin of this word.

Reader A writ.

"You're readered soobri." (You are put in the "Police Gazette," friend.)

Our informant could give only a single specimen of the Shelta literature.
It was as follows:--

"My name is Barney Mucafee,
With my borers and jumpers down to my thee (thigh).
An' it's forty miles I've come to kerrb yer pee."

This vocabulary is, as he declared, an extremely imperfect specimen of
the language. He did not claim to speak it well. In its purity it is
not mingled with Romany or thieves' slang. Perhaps some student of
English dialects may yet succeed in recovering it all. The pronunciation
of many of the words is singular, and very different from English or
Romany.

Just as the last word was written down, there came up a woman, a female
tramp of the most hardened kind. It seldom happens that gentlemen sit
down in familiar friendly converse with vagabonds. When they do they are
almost always religious people, anxious to talk with the poor for the
good of their souls. The talk generally ends with a charitable gift.
Such was the view (as the vagabond afterwards told us) which she took of
our party. I also infer that she thought we must be very verdant and an
easy prey. Almost without preliminary greeting she told us that she was
in great straits,--suffering terribly,--and appealed to the man for
confir