And they were as direct as children in their demand for the gist of the matter.
"A reg-lar ol' shicer!" was the unanimous opinion, expressed without scruple.

While from the back of the hall came the curt request to him to shut his "tater-trap." Next on the list was a German, a ruddy-faced man with mutton-chop whiskers and prominent, watery eyes.

He could not manage the letter "r." In the body of a word where it was negligible, he rolled it out as though it stood three deep.

Did he tackle it as an initial, on the other hand, his tongue seemed to cleave to his palate, and to yield only an "l." This quaint defect caused some merriment at the start, but was soon eclipsed by a more striking oddity.

The speaker had the habit of, as it were, creaking with his nose.