In this
way he seemed to swallow successively all the twelve needles. Then he
opened his mouth, that you might ascertain that they were not there, and
you certainly could not see them. He next swallowed a little ball of
thread, not much bigger than a pea. This being done, he seemed to be
very uneasy (as well he might be!), and he made fearful faces and
violent gestures, and stamped on the ground, and muttered incantations,
and threw up his hands and eyes to the sky; and presently the end of a
thread was to be seen coming out between his teeth, upon which he took
hold of this end, and carefully drew out the thread with all the needles
threaded on it. Then there was always much applause, and the small coins
used to be put pretty liberally into the hat which he handed round to
receive them."
"Was that all?" asked the young gentleman of the adventure books.
"All what, Fred?"
"All that you thought wonderful."
"Yes," said Cousin Peregrine. "Don't you think it curious?"
"Oh, very, Cousin, and I like it very much indeed, only if that's all
_you_ thought wonderful, now I want you to tell us what _you_ did that
_the Chinese_ thought wonderful."
"It's not very easy to surprise a town-bred Chinaman," said Cousin
Peregrine.
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