“Are you, Joe?”

“On-common.

Give me,” said Joe, “a good book, or a good newspaper, and sit me down afore a good fire, and I ask no better. Lord!” he continued, after rubbing his knees a little, “when you do come to a J and a O, and says you, 'Here, at last, is a J-O, Joe,' how interesting reading is!”

I derived from this, that Joe's education, like Steam, was yet in its infancy. Pursuing the subject, I inquired, —

“Didn't you ever go to school, Joe, when you were as little as me?”

“No, Pip.”

“Why didn't you ever go to school, Joe, when you were as little as me?”