r divil a bit of gold have I by me."
"Well, then, produce the value in silver," said the jockey, "and do it
quickly, for I can't be staying here all day." The thimble man
hesitated, looked at Jack with a dubious look, then at the gold, and then
scratched his head. There was now a laugh amongst the surrounders, which
evidently nettled the fellow, who forthwith thrust his hand into his
pocket, and pulling out all his silver treasure, just contrived to place
the value of the guinea on the table. "Them that finds, wins; and them
that can't finds--_loses_," interrupted Jack, lifting up a thimble, out
of which rolled a pea. "There, Paddy, what do you think of that?" said
he, seizing the heap of silver with one hand, whilst he pocketed the
guinea with the other. The thimble-engro stood for some time like one
transfixed, his eyes glaring wildly, now at the table, and now at his
successful customer; at last he said, "Arrah, sure, master!--no, I manes
my lord--you are not going to ruin a poor boy!" "Ruin you!" said the
other; "what! by winning a guinea's change? a pretty small dodger you--if
you have not sufficient capital, why do you engage in so deep a trade as
thimbling? come, will you stand another game?" "Och, sure, master, no!
the twenty shillings and one which you have cheated me of were all I had
in the world." "Cheated you!" said Jack; "say that again, and I will
knock you down." "Arrah! sure, master, you knows that the pea under the
thimble was not mine; here is mine, master; now give me back my money."
"A likely thing," said Jack; "no, no, I know a trick worth two or three
of that; whether the pea was yours or mine, you will never have your
twenty shillings and one again; and if I have ruined you, all the better;
I'd gladly ruin all such villains as you, who ruin poor men with your
dirty tricks, whom you would knock down and rob on the road if you had
but courage: not that I mean to keep your shillings, with the exception
of the two you cheated from me, which I'll keep. A scramble, boys! a
scramble!" said he, flinging up all the silver into the air, with the
exception of the two shillings; and a scramble there instantly was,
between the rustics who had lost their money and the urchins who came
running up; the poor thimble-engro tried likewise to have his share; but
though he flung himself down, in order to join more effectually in the
scramble, he was unable to obtain a single sixpence; and having in his
rage g