"
Having arrived at which highly encouraging conclusion, the young man
whistled.
"I say," he said, suddenly, "I wanted to ask--"
"Well, sir?" said Fanny.
"Before we leave the subject--"
"What subject?"
"Babies."
"Well, ask on."
"I wish to know whether babies talk."
"Certainly!"
"Really, now?"
"Yes."
"And you understand them?"
"_I_ do," said Fanny.
"What does 'um, um,' mean? I heard that baby say 'um, um,'
distinctly."
Fanny burst out laughing.
"Oh, I know!" she said, "when I gave him an apple."
"Yes."
"It meant, 'that is a very nice apple, and I would like to have
some.'"
"Did it?"
"Of course."
"Suppose, then, it had been a crab-apple, and the baby had still said
'um, um,' what would it then have meant?"
"Plainly this: 'that is not a nice apple, and I would not like to have
any.'"
"That is perfectly satisfactory," said Ralph;"'um, um,' expresses
either the desire to possess a sweet apple, or the objection to a sour
one.
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