I leaned over Joe, and, with the aid of my forefinger read him the whole letter.
"Astonishing!" said Joe, when I had finished. "You ARE a scholar."
"How do you spell Gargery, Joe?" I asked him, with a modest patronage.
"I don't spell it at all," said Joe.
"But supposing you did?"
"It can't be supposed," said Joe. "Tho' I'm uncommon fond of reading, too."
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"Are you, Joe?"
"On-common. Give me," said Joe, "a good book, or a good newspaper, and sit me down afore a good fire, and I ask no better. Lord!" he continued, after rubbing his knees a little, "when you do come to a J and a O, and says you, "Here, at last, is a J-O, Joe, how interesting reading is!"
I derived from this, that Joe's education, like Steam, was yet in its infancy, Pursuing the subject, I inquired,--
"Didn't you ever go to school, Joe, when you were as little as me?"
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