Part 15 (1/2)
”But in the(for I had lost that too), I felt worse than when I lost all the other things And ain, for she had no child I had in those days as fine clothes as any young Gipsy in England--good coats, and shi+rts, and handkerchiefs
”And that man hurt many a man after me, but he never had any luck He'd steal from his own father; but he died miserably in East Kent”
It was characteristic of the venerable wanderer who had installed hih almost every phrase which he employed to illustrate words expressed sohts of property, he was never weary of descanting on the spotlessness, beauty, and integrity of his own life and character These little essays on hisartlessness and child-like simplicity which would carry conviction to any one whose heart had not been utterly hardened, or whose eye-teeth had not been rehtful _naivete_ and siers and freedom from all suspicion--in fact, in his whole deportment, this Rommany elder reminded me continually of one--and of one man only--whom I had known of old in America Need I say that I refer to the excellent --- ---?
It happened fora man of early habits, arrived at our rendezvous an hour in advance of the time appointed As he resolutely resisted all invitation to occupy the roouilty of such a breach of etiquette, and as he was,to his word, the most courteous man of the world in it, and I did not wish to ”contrary”
hied to pass the ti his of an elderly and lonely daer at her door, and was in agony until the milkman and baker had removed their feet from her steps Now, the appearance of the professor (who always affected the old Gipsy style), in striped corduroy coat, leather breeches and gaiters, red waistcoat, yellow neck-handkerchief, and a frightfully-dilapidated old white hat, was not, it hly respectable , as if he were a-waitin' for some friend to come out o' the 'ouse” It is almost needless to say that this apparition attracted the police froathered around hihly intelligent gentleman itnessed the interviews, that the professor's kindly reception of these public characters--the infantile sood old grandfatherly air hich he listened to their little tales--was indescribably delightful ”In a quarter of an hour any one of the;” and it was soon apparent that the entire force found a charainst hilance at the amiable smile, ”which was child-like and bland,” disarmed her, and it was reported that she subsequently sent him out half-a-pint of beer
It is needless to point out to the reader accusto to sit in a room where valuable and small objects abounded, in the absence of the owner, was dictated by theNot less remarkable than his strict politeness was the mysterious charm which this antique nomad unquestionably exercised on the entire fehest respectability and culture, old or young, who had once seen hi old Gipsy”
Nor was his sorcery less potent on those of low degree Never shall I forget one irls in all London were poseeing to an artist friend while the professor sat and iirls behaved like moral statues till he appeared, and like quicksilver i of the wild and weird in the mountain Italian life of these ex-contadine seemed to wake like unholy fire, and answer sympathetically to the Gipsy wizard-spell Over ends of _streghe_ and Zingari, these senised each other intuitively The handsoland could not have interested these handsoabond did Their eyes stole to hilish, but they whispered; they could not write little notes, so they kept passing different objects, to which Gipsy and Italian pro theht”
To ih character, the professor informed me one day that he was personally acquainted, as he verily believed, with every policeland ”You see, rya,” he re wrong now,--could he?”
Innocent, unconscious, guileless air--and smile! I shall never see its equal I replied--
”Yes; I think I can see you, Puro, walking down between two lines of hundreds of policeoes that good honest --- the honestestto hted and astonished that I had found out the truth ”That's just what they all pens of me, an' just what I seen 'em a-doin' every time”
”You know all the police,” I remarked ”Do you know any turnkeys?”
He reflected an instant, and then replied, artlessly--
”I don't jin many o' them But I can jist tell you a story Once at Wiroes_ were _odoi_ (when the troopers were there), I used to get a pound a week carryin' things One day, when I had well on to two stun on my _dumo_ (back), the chief of police sees ives the police more trouble than any other man in the country!' 'Thank you, sir,' says I, wery respectable to hilad to see you're earnin' a 'onest livin' for once,' says he 'How et for carryin' that there bundle?' 'A sixpence, rya!' says I 'It's twice as lad to carry it ht, sir,' says I, touchin' entleman Rya,” he exclaimed, with an air of placid triumph, ”do you think the head-police his selfus would a spoke in theood et to work, old Honesty What is the Ro, rya _Gaverit_” And to illustrate its application he continued--
”They penned ry, but I nashered to keravit, an' the us an' dicked it”
(”They told ot to do it, and the man who _owned_ the horse came by and saw it”)
It is only a few hours since I heard of a gentleman who took incredible pains to induce the Gipsies to teach hie, but never succeeded I must confess that I do not understand this When I have rieved ue very inorant of certain Roer, knew very well, and would fain teach the norant huerly anxious to prove that they were not so ignorant as I assuence proceeded to pour forth dozens of words, of which I must admit many were really new to , slippery night-life of the Gipsy; his faht and field-lairs; his use of a secret language, and his constant habit of concealing everything from everybody; his private superstitions, and his inordinate love of hu friend and foe, tend to produce in hie state of mind which is utterly indescribable to a prosaic htfully piquant to others Many a ti Gipsies I have felt, I confess with pleasure, all the subtlest spirit of fun coends and the ”Egyptians;” for in their ignorance they are still an unconscious race, and do not knohat the world writes about them They are not attractive from the outside to those who have no love for quaint scholarshi+p, odd humours, and rare fancies A lady who had been in a ca to say of theed” But I ever think, when I see therim and repulsive frooblin-land
The very fact that they hide as ios would of itself indicate the depths of singularity concealed beneath their apparent life--and this reminds me of incidents in a Sunday which I once passed beneath a Gipsy roof I was, _en voyage_, at a little cathedral tohen learning that soht e and rode over to see the it discovered that I was truly enough awoifted with the unmistakable and peculiar expression of real Gipsies
The old wos She is a local celebrity, and is constantly visited by the entlemen This much I had learned from my coachman But I kept a steady silence, and sat as serious as Odin when he visited the Vala, until the address ceased Then I said in Rommany--
”Mother, you don't know ”
To which caentle” I answered always in Ro You needn't be afraid of entleman you ever saw in all your life, and I can talk Rommany as fast as ever you ran away fro?” cried the old da heartily as she spoke
”Oh dye--miri dye, Don't tute jin a Rommany rye?
Can't tu rakker Rommany jib, Tachipen and kek fib?”