Johnny Dooit moved quickly now--so quickly that they were astonished at the work he was able to accomplish.
Whatever Johnny Dooit was singing he was certainly doing things, and they all stood by and watched him in amazement.
"It ought to be painted," said Johnny Dooit, tossing his tools back into the chest, "for that would make it look prettier.
"Surely the natives do not bob the tails of their dogs.--Do they,
Johnny? Do black man stop along Malaita chop 'm off tail along dog."
As Johnny, with his chin tucked in and lips pouting, reclined in Betty's lap, concentrating his blue eyes on the visitors and shading them from observation with a dimpled arm, old Betty took one of his fresh fat hands in her withered right, and fell to gently beating it on her withered left.
This alarming note of something wrong instantly terrified Toddles and Poddles, who were no sooner heard to roar surprisingly, than Johnny, curving himself the wrong way and striking out at Mrs Boffin with a pair of indifferent shoes, became a prey to despair.
'Well, then, Johnny shall have more time to think of it,' returned Mrs Boffin; 'the pretty child shall have time to get used to it.
This still further brightened the face of affairs; for, the highly sympathetic Sloppy, first broadly staring and grinning, and then roaring with laughter, Toddles and Poddles followed suit, and Johnny trumped the trick.
And now, Johnny was to be inveigled into occupying a temporary position on Mrs Boffin's lap.
"If he can't stand on his hind legs he can't barrel-jump--you've heard about Ruth, Johnny. She was a winner.
"Wonder if he can spin plates on his nose," Johnny volunteered.
