He had also travelled with several "shows," two or three travelling theatres, and had finally settled down with a lame leg at Temple Hall, where he made himself generally useful.
His dialect was a mixture of the Cockney and a dozen others equally bad, until it was almost impossible to tell from that source the part of the country from which he hailed.

He was, however, a good-hearted fellow, and for a wonder, considering his history, as honest as the day.
"Now, Simon," said Tom Temple, "this gentleman is a scientist and wants to show some experiments, and he can't get any one to assist him, so I thought I'd ask you." "Well," said Simon, "I don't know as I think mich on these science gents.

They're allays a-bringin' in some new-fangled thing or other, but generally there's nowt in 'em.

Still, to 'blige the company, I'll do owt raisonable.

I'm tough has a crocodile's tongue, and can stand a goodish bit o' jingo and nonsense.