Part 4 (2/2)

”Yes, sir; that's the Rummany for it A 'dolly mort' is Kennick, but it's _juva_ or _rakli_ in Ruirl, or a rom's _chi_”

”You say _rom_ sometimes, and then _rum_”

”There's _rums_ and _roms_, sir The _rum_ is a Gipsy, and a _ro it All the rest of the world over there is only one word a Gipsies, and that is _rom_”

Now, the allusion to _Kennick_ or cant by a tinker, recalls an incident which, though not strictly Gipsy in its nature, I will nevertheless narrate

In the summer of 1870 I spent several weeks at Spa, in the Ardennes One day while walking I saw by the roadside a picturesque old tinker, looking neither better nor worse than the grinder made immortal by Teniers

I was anxious to know if all of his craft in Belgiuiving hirind He replied politely in French that he did not speak Rommany, and only understood French and Walloon Yet he seemed to understand perfectly the drift of my question, and to knohat Gipsy was, and its nature, since after a pause he added, with a significant sh I cannot talk Root_ fluently”

Now, I retain in o, one or two phrases of this French thieves' slang, and I at once replied that I knew a feords of it orne_?”--you can talk argot?

”_Oui, ne_?”--and you go about from town to town?

Grave and keen, and with a queer smile, the tinker replied, very slowly--

”Monsieur knows the Gipsies” (here he shook his head), ”and ) ”Perhaps he knows more than he credits himself with Perhaps” (and here his as diabolical)-- ”_perhaps ue_!”

Spa is full not only of gamblers, but of numbers of well-dressed Parisian sharpers who certainly know ”the entire tongue” I hastened to pay my tinker, and went”burgled” onions, and the pursuit of philology has twice subjectederous classes”

But to return to , he manifested an interest in it, and put ard to the race in other lands

”I wish I was a rich gentle to do but go about fro after our Ru Ruypt?”

”No I think not There are Gipsies in Egypt, but there is less Roe) than in any other Gipsy tribe in the world The Gipsies came from India”

”And don't you think, sir, that we're of the children of the lost Ten Tribes?”

”I am quite sure that you never had a drop of blood in coilis_--any songs?”

”Only a bit of a one, sir; ins--”

And here he sang:

”Jal 'dree the kerthis, after thanking ratuity, rejoiced at his reception, and most undoubtedly benefited by the beer hich I had encouraged his palaver--a word, by the hich is not inappropriate, since it contains in itself the very word of words, the _lav_, which means a word, and is most antiquely and excellently Gipsy Pehlevi is old Persian, and to _pen lavi_ is Rommany all the world over ”to speak words”

CHAPTER IV GIPSY RESPECT FOR THE DEAD