“Lor blime, missus, yer ortenter do that to another woman’s ’ushand,” said the facetious labourer.

The people pressed about Mahdi’s cage.  They threw nuts at him, and offered him lollies and cakes, and the Missing Link went through many surprising contortions, and rolled about, and capered, and growled in a most realistic way, while Madame Marve gave a full and exciting account of his capture in the jungles of Central Africa by a party of hunters, of whom Professor Thunder was the leader and the conspicuous hero.

“Mahdi was then very young,” said Madame.  “He has been reared with great tenderness, and is now probably the most valuable, and he is the rarest animal in the world.  Professor Thunder has been offered thousands of pounds for Mahdi, but refuses to part with him, preferring to take the marvellous monkey-man through the world for the education and edification of his fellow-creatures.”

Mahdi swung on his bar again, flopped, and then ran up the back wall several times, after which he sat in a corner and scratched himself industriously, grinning at the people every now and then, or uttering a growl that gave the women delicious cold shivers.

The attention of the patrons was next drawn to the educated pig, and presently the show-room was empty again for a minute or two.  Madame Marve addressed Mahdi the Missing Link.

“You must growl more, my boy,” she said.  “The people like the growling, it terrifies them, and they talk to their friends about it.  You really must keep on growling.  I don’t care if you don’t scratch quite so much, but you must growl.”

The Missing Link pushed his drab muzzle through the bars.

“Keep on growling,” he protested.  “Excuse me, madame, but I’m damned if I do unless you give me more beer.  I’ve got a throat like a hot-box.”

Old friend of Mr. Nicholas Crips would have recognised those crisp tones instantly.  Nickie the Kid had found his vocation.

CHAPTER VII.

An unfortunate meeting.

Nicholas Crips entered into formal agreement with Professor Thunder, sole organiser, director and owner of Thunder’s Celebrated Museum of Marvels, to impersonate Mahdi, the Missing Link, at a salary of thirty-seven and sixpence a week and keep, Nickie undertaking to observe the Sabbath, to behave becomingly and in no circumstances to disclose his identity to persons outside the show.

The clause entailing strict observance of the Sabbath was a wise one from the Professor’s point of view, as a previous Missing Link had taken advantage of Sunday being an off-day to get unreasonably drunk, in which state he betrayed the confidence of his employer, and disclosed the most sacred secrets of the profession.

Nickie was assured that the job would be a permanency if he proved himself a zealous, efficient Missing Link, and as he understood that even when on show Mahdi was expected to do little more than curl up on the straw in his cage and growl, he gratefully accepted.  The contract was signed.