to his mind, was worse than shoring oysters; and "Names is nothink," observed Mouldy. "Look Mrs. Winkship had, after all, said very little in at ‘Bleareye, the Bloodsucker,' wot we went to its praise. True, she had drawn a very nice pic-see-wot we went without a bit of wittles all day ture of herself, with her silk handkerchief over long to see; and wot did it turn out? Why, her shoulders, and without a bonnet, and with Bleareye wasn't a bloodsucker at all; he was half a sieve of ripe greengages under her arm, on'y a common sort of a cove as lent money and making a pretty pocket by strolling round the a-purpose to ruin young lords, and bring 'em to squares with them on a summer's afternoon, and the work'us. Jigger such pieces as that!" she had related the little incident to me while de- "Did you ever see a play, Smiffield ?" asked scribing the particulars of the barking business; Ripston. but really it had no more to do with barking than with bricklaying. Now here were two boys who had tried the trade of barking, and both of them had abandoned it in disgust. They had found something better to do. What was it? "What do you chaps do for a livin' ?" I asked. "What do we do? Oh, anythink!" replied Mouldy, vaguely. 66 Only in a show," I replied. "What? a carrywan what a horse draws, I s'pose! It's werry little you knows about plays then, Smiffield," said Ripston, laughing contemptuously. "The place where we go is a reg'ler theatre, don't yer know-reg'ler stage, and fightin' with real swords, and characters dressed up realall welvet, and gold, and diamonds—and blue fire, and that! You ought to go, Smiffield, if you've By this time we all three had got out of the van, and were making our way towards the pas-never been." sage through which we had come the night before. "What do you mean by anythink?" "Well, we picks it up," Ripston explained. "We keeps our eyes open, and when we sees a chance we grabs at it." "Then you don't go at anything reg'ler ?" "Oh yes, we goes at everythink reg'ler," replied Mouldy, laughing. "It's no use bein' pertickler, don't you know; you're 'bliged to do it to pick a crust up. It's all chance work. Sometimes it'll run as high as roast pork-sittin' down to it, mind yer? not eatin' it goin' along-and another time it hain't a lump of bread from the time you turns out in the mornin' till you turns in again at night. It's all luck." "Ah! but the best on it is, you never knows when the luck is goin' to change," interposed Ripston. "It's that wot keeps the pluck in you. You thinks that your luck is dead out, and that it is no use expectin' it ever to come back again; you turns round a corner, and steps into it slap up to your neck. Why, look on'y at yesterday arternoon! All day long not a mag;-no drop of coffee the fust thing; no breakfus', no dinnerno nothink, 'cept wegetables and that sweepin's! Mouldy he gets down on his luck-which you do, Mouldy, sooner than you ought sometimes-and ses he, 'Wot's the use of us a-prowlin' and a-shiverin' out here any longer, Rip? I thinks we'd better make our ways back to the 'Delphi; it's warmer there than out here.' 'Let's try a bit longer,' ses I; 'let's go round the market three times, and then if nothing don't turn up, we'll go home.' When, scarcely was the words out of my mouth, when somebody hollers, 'Hi!' and there was a gen❜lman under the columade as wanted a cab fetched. Mouldy fetched it, which was sixpence for hisself, and a penny the cabman, made sevenpence. So there we was, you see! 'Stead of goin' miser'ble back to the arches, and having to wait p'r'aps three or four hours till your wan came in, there was fippence for grub, and tuppence for the gaff which you see us a-comin' from last night. We often goes to the gaff-don't we, Mouldy ?" "We goes to a benefit to-morrow night, if it can be made to run to it," Mouldy replied. "Stunnin' piece out too, it is," said Ripston; "The Wampire Captain; or, the Pirate of the Desert.' Leastways, it oughter to be a stunnin' piece, from the name it's got." By this time we had got out into the Strand, which was very quiet, as well it might be, for just then the churches chimed out five o'clock. Then Mouldy brought us to a stand-still. "Look here," said he to me; "afore we goes any furder, how are we goin' on? Are you goin' down to the river, or to Common Garden along with me and Ripston ?" "I should like to go with you, if you'll let me." "Let you! there ain't no lettin's in it. Common Garden is as free to you as to us. The thing is, how are you goin' to work ?" "I don't know anything about the work, let alone how I am goin' to do it," I replied; "that's what I want to go with you for, so that you might put me in the way of it." "What Mouldy means," observed Ripston, "is this-are you goin' to work on your own hook, or are you goin' pardeners with us ?" Such an offer, under the circumstances, was of course extremely welcome. "I should like to go pardeners," I replied; "and you are good sorts of fellows to ask it of me." "Reg'ler pardeners, don't you know," said Ripston, in a whisper; you works with us, and you grubs with us, and you lodges with us!" "I understand." "Fact, you are willin' to go with us, and do 'zactly what we do?" said Mouldy impressively. "Yes.". "Whack all you finds, or gets, or haves give you," said Ripston, with the utmost gravity; never sneak off and spend nothink unbeknown!" "Never. "Tisn't likely." "Whenever the beadle catches you, you agree to take your gruel, and never split on your pals; even though splitting would get you off. You agrees to all that ?" "All of it," I replied; although, to tell the truth, I was not quite clear as to some of the terms proposed by Mouldy. "You'll stick fast to us, and never funk nor flinch ?" "Never." "Then shake hands," said Mouldy. "Now shake hands with Ripston: now we're pardeners. Come along, and let's get to business at once." CHAPTER XV. IN WHICH THE TRUE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS OF OUR FIRM IS MADE APPARENT, AND I BECOME A PUDDING. THERE was no use in hanging back. To think of returning home after being absent a day and a night was altogether more than I dare attempt. I was in for it, and must make the best of it. According to their own showing, the life led by Mouldy and Ripston was not a particularly hard one, no harder, at least, and in respect of victuals, than I was well used and seasoned to. Not so hard. The "lump of bread" that my partners seemed to think such hard fare was the best I had got during the past three months; and the roast pork, never. They roamed about as they liked, and where they liked; they had nobody to whack 'em; they had all that they earned to spend and do as they pleased with; and they went to the play. All things considered, it appeared very lucky that I had fallen in with a pair of such jolly fellows; and luckier still, that they had taken to me so kindly. The lodging was the worst part of it. True, I had at present only tried it without straw; and even as it was, after one night's trial, I felt merely a little stiffish, but all right in the main, and should by and by grow quite used to it. now, or wait till we takes a brown or two, and have somethin' to eat with it ?" "Have it now, I say," replied Mouldy, "I feel reg'ler perished for wants of it. What do you say, Smiffield ?" I was quite inclined to agree with Mouldy's proposition. What with going so short of victuals, and getting up so early in the morning, I began to experience a strange sort of sensation, which I suppose was of the same sort with Mouldy's. I think I never felt so starved and chilly before. So we went to the coffee-stall, and Ripston ordered three ha'p'orths of coffee, which we had in three separate cups, and which was deliciously hot and sweet, though not over strong. When we had drank it, feeling very much refreshed, we turned to again to look for a job. But our luck didn't seem to better. Hour af ter hour we tried, but nothing turned up. We scoured the vegetable market through and through and worked in and out of the fruit market in every direction. I should have been ashamed, only that Mouldy did not get on any better than I did; neither did Ripston, except for that first threehalfpence. Another thing that kept me from taking my failure so very much to heart was, that both my companions appeared to be by no means low-spirited; they went cheerily about, cracking their jokes and larking amongst the stalls, as though their bread was already buttered, and only awaited their eating when they were tired of strolling about. About ten o'clock in the morning we quitted the market, and made our way through several back streets and alleys to Drury Lane. These and kindred reflections occupied my mind until we reached Covent Garden. Here we found business brisk enough, though Mouldy declared that we were at least an hour later than we ought to have been. We didn't enter the covered "Well, Smiffield," said Mouldy, "how do you part of the market, but sauntered about the out-like bein' a pardener? Do you think you shall skirts of it, where the carts and barrows were being laden. We wandered about in this way for so long a time, that I began to wonder when we were going to begin a job. I was about to ask the question, when Ripston darted away from us, and towards a man who stood holding up his finger by a pile of lettuces. "Where's Ripston gone ?" I asked. "Gone to work. Didn't you see that cove with his finger held up? That means a job for a boy; if he had held up two fingers, he would have meant that it was a man wot he wanted. Don't you never go when you see two fingers held up, Smiffield, else you might get a knot chucked at you, or something. One finger is what you've got to look out for. The job what Rip's got will get us the coffee; now, if we can find summat else while he's a-doin' of it, that'll be the tommy; which I hopes we shall, 'cos coffee wirout tommy don't make much of a breakfus'. So keep your eyes open, Smiffield." So I did; but nobody held up his finger-at least, as far as I could make out; and Mouldy was not a bit luckier. In about twenty minutes we made our way towards Bow Street, to a coffeestall which stood at market end of it; and, after a few minutes' waiting, Ripston made his appear ance. "What luck, Rip ?" asked Mouldy. "Threeha'pence. How have you been doin' ?" Mouldy replied by shrugging his shoulders dismally. "And Smiffield the same?" "Jes the same." like to keep on with it?" "I shall like to keep on with it if we have a little better luck," I replied; "we haven't done much this morning, Mouldy." "We might ha' done wuss," observed Ripston, "considerin' how jolly late it was afore we begun.' "I believe yer," said Mouldy. "I haven't done so bad; you ought to have done werry well, too, Smiffield." This I naturally took to be a little joke of Mouldy's, so I laughed as I answered him"Oh, yes, I've done splendid; just about as well as you have, Mouldy." At this my partners winked and laughed too, and we trotted up Drury Lane, merry as crickets. Presently we came to the entrance to a dingy alley somewhere near Little Wild Street, and there we stopped. "Come on," whispered Mouldy, first looking up and down to see that we were not observed; "tip up, Smiffield." "Tip up!" I repeated, in amazement, seeing that he as well as Ripston were looking perfectly serious. "Fork out," said the boy last mentioned, nudging me impatiently; "not all at once; just a few at a time. Here you are; I'll stand before yer." "I'spect it's chiefly in new taters," observed Mouldy; "I twigg'd you rubbin' puty close to the sieves-closer than I'd ha' liked to rub. Come on, out with 'em; they're scarce as yet, and will fetch somethink, though nuts pays bet "Come on, then. Shall we have our coffee ter, when you come acrost 'em." "I don't know what you are talking about," I answered. "I haven't got no new taters." "Well, let us have it, whatever it is," said Ripston; "the old man wot we deals with lives up here." I couldn't in the least make out what my partners meant; especially as they pointed to the pockets of my jacket and trousers as they spoke; and presently Mouldy commenced to stroke me down on every side. The result didn't appear to afford him a great amount of satisfaction, judging from the increasing anger of his countenance, and the air of disgust with which he turned to Ripston. "Ho! ho!" he laughed savagely; "here's a pardener! here's a stunnin' pardener for yer!" "Wot's the matter with him ?" asked Ripston, evidently suspecting what was the true state of the case, but loath to give credit to so preposterous a thing. "The matter? Why, he hain't got a blessed thing! Not so much even as a goosgog! That's what's the matter." And for several seconds both my partners stood regarding me in reproachful silence. "And you calls that stickin' to us!-doin' as we do!" remarked Ripston; "well, you are a sort." "Well, so I did stick to you," I replied; "I'm sure I looked out all I could. If nobody wanted nothink carryin', how could I help it?" "Yah!" sneered Mouldy, with the utterest contempt. "I didn't have any money to buy goosgogs," I continued, in explanation; "nor yet to buy new taters, nor anythink. You know'd that I didn't have any money, didn't you?" "We didn't know you was a jolly fool." "Besides, if I had got a penny, I shouldn't have bought some goosgogs with it, I can tell you,' ," said I; "I should have bought some bread at breakfus' time." I never in my life saw a more ferocious face than that of Mouldy's as, on hearing my explanation, he turned towards me. His wrath was altogether too great for speech; so after glaring at me for a moment, he growled deeply, and turning away, looked up the street. Ripston laughed. "Don't get out of temper, Mouldy," said he; "Smiffield's green, that's wot it is. See here, Smiffield." So saying, he took from his jacket pocket, one after the other, seven lovely apples; and then he invited me to peep into his trousers' pockets. I did so. One of them was full of almond nuts, and the other of Spanish nuts. "My eyes, Smiffield! " said Ripston; "wot a lot of money they must have cost me, mustn't they?" "But why did you buy nuts and apples?" I asked, in bewilderment. "Well, I bought 'em to sell agin' don't yer see,' replied Ripston, his whole face, excepting his eyes, perfectly serious; "I deals in 'em." "When did you buy 'em? I didn't see you." "Nor did the cove as belonged to 'em. He was servin' somebody else at the time, and I thought he wouldn't like to be disturbed; so I served myself, and didn't wait to have 'em put in a bag. Now, do you twig?" I began to fear that I did. I say, fear; for though I had known Mrs. Burke to be guilty of shameless swindling as regards my father's money, I don't think she would have given her countenance to downright stealing. Neither would my father; as witness the terrible thrashing he gave me when he was led to believe that I had purloined that half-crown. Still, however, I did not like to confess that I did "twig," as Ripston put it, for fear I might be mistaken. "Yah! you might as well tickle a milestone, and 'spect it to larf, as to try and 'int anythink to him," sneered Mouldy. "Look here, young Smiffield, you see them apples and nuts wot Ripston's got? Well, he nailed 'em! prigged 'em! stole 'em!-is that plain enough for yer! Look here, again," (he opened the mouth of a sort of roundabout pocket in his jacket,) "here's some wot I nailed, and I'm jolly sorry that I didn't find the chance to nail some more. Now we're going up this alley to sell our stock, and to buy some wittles with the money." I don't pretend that I was a particularly sensitive or squeamish sort of boy, even at that time; but really there was something about Mouldy's blunt and brutal assertion that he was a thief that shocked me very much. . "Good Lor'! what a lot to snivel about!" exclaimed Mouldy, mockingly. "You didn't take us for Sunday-school kids, wot minds wot their katekisims and their colicks tells 'm? You was werry much mistaken if you did." "P'r'aps you, wot's got a home," put in Ripston, with polite sarcasm-"p'r'aps you, wot's got a home as you ran away from, and can run back to when you finds it conwenient, can afford to be a little more pertickler. There's one good thing for yer to think on, Smiffield-you ain't in the least 'bliged to have any of the puddin' what we're a-goin' to buy presently. You are a werry good little boy, and are free to hook it as soon as ever you like.' "Which the sooner it is, the better, p'r'aps," observed Mouldy, with an ugly scowl. And disdaining further conversation with me, they turned about and went up the alley, leaving me standing in the road. And, indeed, there I was, as Ripton had vulgarly but forcibly expressed it, "free to hook it." If my object was simply to amuse the reader, I should perhaps have refrained from making mention of this important circumstance; but as it is my true history, I have no choice but to relate it. There I was, free to run away. I had tasted a vagabond life; I had unwittingly fallen in with thieves; had eaten, and drank, and slept with them; but, my lucky star prevailing, I had found them out in time, and while I was still an honest boy. It was my chance. I am fully aware of it; and if any one is disposed to accuse me of walking into sin with my eyes open, I have nothing to say in my defence. I humbly confess that my proper course would have been to have screwed up courage and run home. I didn't know the way, it is true; but I could easily have inquired, braving everything. But, ladies and gentlemen, pray bear in mind the peculiarity of my position, and let it weigh with you in your judgment. I was as miserable as the most severe amongst you could have desired, I do assure you. When I thought on how I had met Mouldy and Ripston; how they had invited me home to share their van; how I had slept with them, and talked with them, and shared their bond such as I was! Presently I spied Ripston and Mouldy coming back up the court. coffee, when I reviewed these hard facts, and, | setting them on one side, faced them with the horrid confession the boys had just made to me, the result was that my very ears tingled with shame. I had at least the consolation of knowing that when I took their ha'p'orth of coffee I thought them honest lads, and, further, of being in a position to prove, if necessary, that the money with which it was bought had been honestly earned of the let-penny pieces. When they arrived at the top of tuce dealer. Did I run? I did not. Neither did I, having weighed the facts of the case deliberately, resolve to wait until Mouldy and Ripston re-appeared, and then make up to them again. It would be more correct to say that the balance of my mind was brought to a dead level, and I was inclined neither one way nor the other; and so I stood still. It was terrible to think that the two boys were thieves—indeed, that was the great weight in the scale of good resolution; but, alas! there was another great weight that at least counterbalanced it-my hunger. I was shivering and empty, and Ripston had distinctly said that he was presently going to buy some pudding, a share of which I was not obliged to take unless I liked, clearly enough implying that if I did like I might take it. Like a share of pudding! Once more, ladies and gentlemen, I venture to bespeak your merciful consideration to this part of my great temptation. In your ignorance of ragamuffinish ways, you probably underrate the inducement to my stopping. You, of course, know much more about pudding than I did—then at least; you, probably, are aware of twenty sorts or more, some so delicious and of such expensive make that every mouthful costs a shilling; but amongst them all you don't know of one a single serving of which would be worth a moment's thought under the circumstances. In answer to this, I make bold to say, that in the first place. you are incapable of understanding the said "circumstances even. You may have felt shivery, and, perhaps, hungry; but as regards shivering, there is a certain sensation common amongst supperless, out-of-door sleepers, who go breakfastless, and see no prospect of dinner-a peculiar and indescribable numbness of the extremities, and a perpetual ague within, compared with which your shivering is as nothing at all. Then as to the pudding, you may know of fifty sorts, and yet not of that one which I knew Ripston alluded to; indeed, he could have meant no other, as this one sort is all that is known at the pudding shops of ragamuffin districts. The nearest approach to it within your knowledge is plain suet pudding, inasmuch as it quite plain, and there is suet in it. What else beside suet—and flour—I am not in a position to state; but it is something mysteriously filling; something that holds the heat in such a wonderful way, that the lump you buy continues to warm your hands as you walk along in the cold, until you put the very last piece in your mouth; something that swells a pudding out, so that the piece you get for a penny is as big as any four ordinary dinner-table "servings" of a same-named articlea lump as big as the fourth part of a brick. Just imagine it! Just imagine the picture of a lump of pudding as big as the fourth part of a brickhot, bear in mind, and of a flavour and quality well known and appreciated-floating before the mind's eye of a weak-minded little hungry vaga There was a great flour-waggon standing at a baker's door close at hand, and behind this I dodged without being seen by them. They seemed very jolly. Ripston had his hands plunged deep into the pockets that had lately held the nuts, and Mouldy was throwing up and catching four or five the alley, they looked about from left to right, and Ripston gave a whistle. No doubt they were looking for me, and that the whistle was meant to attract my attention should I happen to be in the neighbourhood. I kept close behind the wheel, however, and they saw nothing of me, and went down the street laughing. I crossed over the way, and watched them. They went along, talking and laughing, until they got nearly to Long Acre, where there was a pudding shop; and while Mouldy went in, Ripston stood outside looking through the window. Presently Mouldy came out with such a pile of pudding of the sort just described, smoking on a cabbage-leaf, as made me draw in my breath to see. It seemed a very cold breath that I drew, and it made me feel more shivery and empty than ever. I made my way over to their side of the road, and walked a goodish way behind them; not so far, however, but that I could see Ripston take one of the big slices, and raising it to his mouth, bite out of it a bit-ah! ever so large. He kept on raising it and biting it; (you may judge from this, and considering what sort of bites they were, how large were the pen'orths), and I got closer to them. I was dreadfully hungry. I at last got so close behind them, that I could actually hear them eating. I could hear Ripston drawing his breath to and fro to cool the mouthful, and as he now and then turned his head aside I could see the contentment in his eyes. When they commenced, there were but five lumps on the cabbage-leaf, and they were each well advanced with their second lump. If I meant to speak, there was no time to lose. "What I likes Blinkins's puddin' for is, 'cos of the whackin' lot of suet wot's in it," observed Ripston. "I b'lieve yer," replied Mouldy, licking his lips; "it's a'most like meat puddin'.' "I feels as though I'd had a'most enough; it's so jolly fillin'," said Ripston. "Oh, well! don't you go a over-eatin' yourself," laughed Mouldy; "I can eat this other bit." I could stand it no longer. "Mouldy!" I exclaimed, laying a hand on his shoulder; "Mouldy, give us a bit!" Mouldy gave a very violent start as I so quietly touched him, and wriggled downward; he, however, speedily recovered from his fright. "Oh, it's you, is it!" said he. "Where a' you been? Been home to see if they'll take yer back, and they won't?" "P'r'aps he's been back to the market to split on us. Have you, Smiffield ?" "I haven't been anywheres; I've been followin' you two,” I humbly replied. "Werry kind on yer; but we don't want anybody a-follerin' us-'specially sneaks," said Mouldy. "I ain't a sneak, Mouldy," I replied; "do give us a bit, that's a good fellow; if you know'd how I the one where the man with the blue apron is, gallus hungry I am, you would, I know." and the baskets of nuts are standin' all of a row ?" "Yes, I see them." "I'd be werry sorry to," said the merciless rascal, tantalisingly whipping the last bit of his second lump into his mouth; "don't yer know what the little 'im ses about keeping yer hands from pickin' and stealin'? I'm ashamed on yer askin' me to do such a wicked thing, Smiffield. If I was to give you a bit it 'ud choke yer." "You agreed that we should go whacks in everything," I pleaded, appealing to his sense of justice, since I could not succeed in touching his generosity. "So I meant it; so I means it now," replied Mouldy; "but you wants your share o' the puddin' wirout doin' your share o' the priggin', which it hain't wery likely you'll get. What do you say, Rip ?" 66 P'r'aps he didn't quite twig our game, Mouldy," replied Ripston, who, without doubt, was the most kind-hearted of the two. "P'r'aps if we'd ha' told him wot we was up to, he would ha' done different. Would you, Smiffield ?" As Ripston began to speak, he gave me the last remaining little piece of his second lump of pudding, and I just swallowed it in time to answer him. What a mouthful that was! Never in all my life, at Blinkins's or elsewhere, did I ever taste anything like it. So warm, so savoury, so comforting! And there still reposed upon the cabbage-leaf, on Mouldy's palm, a smoking piece that would have yielded ten such mouthfuls at least. "Would you have done different, Smiffield ?" Just as he repeated the question, Mouldy was in the act of raising the last slice to his lips; but, nudged by Ripston, he paused—with his mouth open. "The first basket at the furder end is almonds. Off you goes; we'll wait here." This was all Mouldy said, but his meaning was plain enough. I was to go and steal some almonds out of the farthest basket. That the pudding in Mouldy's pocket should be mine, I had steadfastly made up my mind; how to get it was all that remained to consider. Mouldy pointed out the way, and without hesitation, but with my heart going "bump! bump!" I set off to wards the nut-stall. This side the stall was one piled with cauliflowers and rhubarb, and as I approached, I saw at a glance that my best plan was to get round to the back of the cauliflowers, by which means I might reach the almond basket from behind. There is a saying that the devil is seldom ill-disposed towards his young friends, and certainly the saying was verified in my case. Between the cauliflower-stall and the nut-stall there was a narrow passage, through which nobody but the stallkeeper had any business to pass; but, shutting my eyes to the danger, I walked in as though I lived there, and, crouching behind the cauliflowers, saw the nut merchant, whose back was towards me, talking to a customer. The cauliflower woman had her back towards me too, and was not likely to shift her position just at present, for she was sitting on a chair, taking her dinner off her lap. There was the brimming nut basket, and nobody was looking. I dipped once-twice-thrice, filling my trousers pockets, and then started out at the passage, and made towards Mouldy and Ripston, who were lurking behind a pillar. Should he eat that pudding or should I? It "Come on, Smiffield !" exclaimed Mouldy, as I was plain that my answer would decide the mo- approached, and speaking in a voice quite differmentous question. Excepting the scanty supper ent to that in which he had before addressed me; I had bought with that twopence the night be-"come along, old boy! I've seen quite enough fore, I had eaten nothing since yesterday's breakfast. Then, that'll do," observed Ripston; "give him that lump of puddin', Mouldy; he do look awful hungry." "Don't you be in such a precious hurry," answered Mouldy. "Here it is; I hain't a-goin' to eat it," (here he slipped it into his roundabout pocket ;) "but, afore he haves it, he's got to earn it. He's got to show us that what he ses he means. Come on." "Come on where ?" asked Ripston. "Back to Common Garden." Keeping close to the pudding side of Mouldy, I kept pace with my companions, with a certainty of the sort of business that was expected of me, and, as I am bound to confess, with but a faint disposition to shirk it. Arrived at the skirts of the market, we halted, and Mouldy took a survey. "Come here, Smiffield," said he, presently. Bold as brass I responded. "You see that first stall atween the pillars to tell me the sort of cove you are! You a green hand! You tell that to fellers as don't know what's o'clock. Here, ketch hold of the puddin'; I wish it was double as big." I didn't think I had done anything like a clever thing till Mouldy made such a fuss about it; and that he was in earnest was certain, more from his manner than his speech. As I walked by his side, he scarcely once took eyes off me the whole time I was devouring the pudding, but kept on jerking his head as though his admiration was too deep to be expressed in words. "I couldn't have done it half as clean-nor yet a quarter," said Ripston. "You!" replied Mouldy, laying a stress on the word which must have been very hurtful to his friend's feelings; "you ain't bad in your way, Ripston; but when you sets up to be a quarterah! or a half a quarter-as clever at nailin' as Smiffield has showed hisself, it on'y shows what a bounceable sort of cove you must be. Why, I couldn't have pinched them almonds as clean as Smiffield did not if you give me a week to practise in! Not but what there are things," continued Mouldy, afraid, I suppose, that he might lead me to think too much of myself, "which I dessay I could beat his head off at." |