Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. I, 1889.djvu/97

 in such stead with the young ladies who, to use his own expression, were "dead nuts on him," that his love-making, under whatever circumstances, always took the form of genial banter de haul en bas. "Don't be a bloomin' fool!" was the phrase he deemed of most efficacy in softening the female heart; and the result seemed to justify him, for after some half-hour's wrangling, Clem abandoned her hostile attitude, and eyed him with a savage kind of admiration.

"When are you goin' to buy me that locket, Bob, to put a bit of your 'air in?" she inquired pertinently.

"You just wait, can't you? There's a event coming off next week. I won't say nothing, but you just wait."

"I'm tired o' waitin . See 'ere; you ain't goin' to best me out of it?"

"Me best you? Don't be a bloomin' fool, Clem!"

He laughed heartily, and in a few minutes allowed himself to be embraced and sent off to his chamber at the top of the house.