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His audience, at first, crowded up close to him, but Smallbones, who could not talk without his arms, which were about as long and thin as a Pongo's are in proportion to his body, flapped and flapped as he discoursed, until he had cleared a little ring, and when in the height of his energy he threw them about like the arms of a windmill, every one kept at a respectable distance.
"Pongo," insinuated someone at this moment, "I thought as 'ow you never grumbled." "Pongo's" voice sank to its ordinary level. "That ain't grumblin'," he said. "I ain't a one to grumble." But for the better part of an hour I heard him growling away to himself, and "plum and apple" was the burden of his growl. For even "Pongo" Simpson cannot always practise what he preaches.
Then if you will toddle round the corner and send it off, that will be that." "Very good, sir." And so the long day wore on till it was time for me to dress for Pongo's party. Pongo had assured me, while chatting of the affair on the previous night, that this birthday binge of his was to be on a scale calculated to stagger humanity, and I must say I have participated in less fruity functions.
Despite the warmth of his praise he would have been quite satisfied to see Pongo's little brother go at twenty dollars, and the reflection that the bidding had already reached one thousand and that his commission was twenty per cent, had engendered a mood of sunny happiness. "One thousand is bid!" he carolled. "Now, gentlemen, I don't want to hurry you over this.
The high-priest, undaunted by previous rebuffs, regarded the figure with a gloating enthusiasm wholly unshared by the congregation, who were plainly looking upon Pongo's little brother as just another of those things. "This," he said, with a shake in his voice, "is something very special. China figure, said to date back to the Ming Dynasty. Unique. Nothing like it on either side of the Atlantic.
He improved rapidly in his knowledge of English, and by the time we drew near the coast of South America he was able to explain himself with tolerable clearness. With the aid of the negro seaman I spoke of, I got somewhat of poor Peter Pongo's simple history out of him. I cannot put it in his words, for though at the time I could understand them, yet you certainly would not if I wrote them down.
What with the natural reaction after Pongo's party and this stunning blow, it is not too much to say that the soul was seared. And I was still writhing in the depths, when the door opened and Jeeves appeared. "Mr. Fink-Nottle to see you, sir," he announced. I gave him one of my looks. "Jeeves," I said, "I had scarcely expected this of you.
One hundred one hundred one hundred " Archie was startled. This sudden, tremendous jump, this wholly unforeseen boom in Pongos, if one might so describe it, was more than a little disturbing. He could not see who his rival was, but it was evident that at least one among those present did not intend to allow Pongo's brother to slip by without a fight.
Willie had returned from his rambles among the connoisseurs, and Pongo's brother was back on his pedestal. The high-priest cleared his throat and resumed his discourse. "Now that you have all seen this superb figure we will I was offered one thousand one thousand-one-one-one-one eleven hundred. Thank you, sir. Eleven hundred I am offered." The high-priest was now exuberant.
His audience, at first, crowded up close to him; but Smallbones, who could not talk without his arms, which were about as long and thin as a Pongo's are in proportion to his body, flapped and flapped as he discoursed, until he had cleared a little ring, and when, in the height of his energy, he threw them about like the arms of a windmill, every one kept at a respectful distance.
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