"Walk her round, boys-oh-boys,
We 're all bound to go.
Walk her round, my"—
"Please don't sing that, either," Marden broke in with unusual gentleness.
His brother looked up in wrathful surprise.
"Why, look a-here," he bellowed. "What's the matter with you? The' ain't a word o' dirt in that song, so help me."
Marden could not have explained to him what echoes it had raised, and was silent.
"You 're a beauty, you are," growled Lee. "You ain't got common sense. A man's got to come down to psalm-singin', like a reg'lar Rescue Mission.—Well, here's one for ye, parson, that I learned from Scotty McKenzie." And, with a fair imitation of the Scots, he croaked away:—
"John come kiss me now,
John come kiss me now,
John come kiss me by and by.
And mak na mair adow.
"The Lord thy God I am.
That, John, doth thee call.
John signifies man.
By grace ce-les-ti-all.
