to a last effort, the horse sprang forward, and the wheel
of the cab came off.

Sybil extricated herself from the vehicle unhurt; a group immediately
formed round the cab, a knot of young thieves, almost young enough for
infant schools, a dustman, a woman nearly naked and very drunk, and two
unshorn ruffians with brutality stamped on every feature, with pipes in
their mouths, and their hands in their pockets.

"I can take you no further," said the cabman: "my fare is three
shillings."

"What am I to do?" said Sybil, taking out her purse.

"The best thing the young lady can do," said the dustman, in a hoarse
voice, "is to stand something to us all."

"That's your time o'day," squeaked a young thief.

"I'll drink your health with very great pleasure my dear," hiccupped the
woman.

"How much have you got there?" said the young thief making a dash at the
purse, but he was not quite tall enough, and failed.

"No wiolence," said one of the ruffians taking his pipe out of his mouth
and sending a volume of smoke into Sybil's face, "we'll take the young
lady to Mother Poppy's, and then we'll make a night of it."

But at this moment appeared a policeman, one of the permanent garrison
of the quarter, who seeing one of her Majesty's carriages in trouble
thought he must interfere. "Hilloa," he said, "what's all this?" And the
cabman, who was a good fellow though in too much trouble to aid Sybil,
explained in the terse and picturesque language of Cockaigne, doing full
justice to his late fare, the whole circumstances.

"Oh! that's it," said the policeman, "the lady's respectable is
she? Then I'd advise you and Hell Fire Dick to stir your chalks,
Splinter-legs. Keep moving's the time of day, Madam; you get on. Come;"
and taking the woman by her shoulder he gave her a spin that sent her
many a good yard. "And what do you want?" he asked gruffly of the lads.

"We wants a ticket for the Mendicity Society," said the captain of the
infant hand putting his thumb to his nose and running away, followed by
his troop.

"And so you want to go to Silver Street?" said her official preserver to
Sybil, for she had not thought it wise to confess her ultimate purpose,
and indicate under the apprehended circumstances the place of rendezvous
to a member of the police.

"Well; that's not very difficult now. Go a-head; take the second turning
to your right, and the third to your left, and you're landed."

Aided by these instructions, Sybi