 his claws.«
    Having thus expressively uttered his sentiments, Mr. Squod, after waiting a
little to ascertain if any further remark be expected of him, gets back, by his
usual series of movements, to the target he has in hand; and vigorously
signifies, through his former musical medium, that he must and he will return to
that ideal young lady. George having folded the letter, walks in that direction.
    »There is a way, commander,« says Phil, looking cunningly at him, »of
settling this.«
    »Paying the money, I suppose? I wish I could.«
    Phil shakes his head. »No, guv'ner, no; not so bad as that. There is a way,«
says Phil, with a highly artistic turn of his brush - »what I'm a-doing at
present.«
    »Whitewashing.«
    Phil nods.
    »A pretty way that would be! Do you know what would become of the Bagnets in
that case? Do you know they would be ruined to pay off my old scores? You're a
moral character,« says the trooper, eyeing him in his large way with no small
indignation, »upon my life you are, Phil!«
    Phil, on one knee at the target, is in course of protesting earnestly,
though not without many allegorical scoops of his brush, and smoothings of the
white surface round the rim with his thumb, that he had forgotten the Bagnet
responsibility, and would not so much as injure a hair of the head of any member
of that worthy family, when steps are audible in the long passage without, and a
cheerful voice is heard to wonder whether George is at home. Phil, with a look
at his master, hobbles up, saying, »Here's the guv'ner, Mrs. Bagnet! Here he
is!« and the old girl herself, accompanied by Mr. Bagnet, appears.
    The old girl never appears in walking trim, in any season of the year,
without a grey cloth cloak, coarse and much worn but very clean, which is,
undoubtedly, the identical garment rendered so interesting to Mr. Bagnet by
having made its way home to Europe from another quarter of the globe, in company
with Mrs. Bagnet and an umbrella. The latter faithful appendage is also
invariably a part of the old girl's presence out of doors. It is of no colour
known in this life, and has a corrugated wooden crook for a handle, with a
metallic object let into its prow or
