“Rya, I pens you the purodirus lav for a leaf—­an’ that’s a holluf.  (Don’t you jin that the holluf was the firstus leaf? so holluf must be the Rommany lav, sense Rommanis is the purodirest jib o’ saw.) For when the first mush was kaired an’ created in the tem adree—­and that was the boro Duvel himself, I expect—­an’ annered the tem apre, he was in the bero, an’ didn’t jin if there was any puvius about, so he bitchered the chillico avree.  An’ the chillico was a dove, ’cause dove-us is like Duvel, an’ pash o’ the Duvel an’ Duvel’s chillico.  So the dove mukkered avree an’ jalled round the tem till he latchered the puvius; for when he dickered a tan an’ lelled a holluf-leaf, he jinned there was a tem, an’ hatched the holluf apopli to his Duvel.  An’ when yuv’s Duvel jinned there was a tem, he kaired bitti tiknos an’ foki for the tem—­an’ I don’t jin no more of it.  Kekoomi.  An’ that is a wery tidy little story of the leaf, and it sikkers that the holluf was the first leaf.  Tacho.”

“Sir, I will tell you the oldest word for a leaf—­and that is an olive.  (Don’t you know that the olive was the first leaf? so olive must be the Rommany word, since Rommanis is the oldest language of all.) For when the first man was made and created in the world—­and that was the great God himself, I expect—­and brought the land out, he was in the ship, and didn’t know if there was any earth about him, so he sent the bird out.  And the bird was a dove, because dove is like Duvel (God), and half God and God’s bird.  So the dove flew away and went around the world till he found the earth; for when he saw a place and took an olive-leaf, he knew there was a country (land), and took the olive-leaf back to his Lord.  And when his Lord knew there was land, he made little children and people for it—­and I don’t know anything more about it.  And that is a very tidy little story of the leaf, and it shows that the olive was the first leaf.”

Being gratified at my noting down this original narrative from his own lips, my excellent old friend informed me, with cheerfulness not unmingled with the dignified pride characteristic of erudition, and of the possession of deep and darksome lore, that he also knew the story of Samson.  And thus spake he:—­

“Samson was a boro mush, wery hunnalo an’ tatto at koorin’, so that he nashered saw the mushis avree, an’ they were atrash o’ lester.  He was so surrelo that yeckorus when he poggered avree a ker, an’ it had a boro sasterni wuder, he just pet it apre his dumo, an’ hookered it avree, an’ jalled kerri an’ bikin’d it.

“Yeck divvus he lelled some weshni juckals, an’ pandered yagni-trushnees to their poris and mukked ’em jal.  And they nashered avree like puro bengis, sig in the sala, when sar the mushis were sutto, ’unsa parl the giv puvius, and hotchered sar the giv.