eful o' my
character."

"I mean if you know where it is," ses George Barstow trembling all over.

"I don't say I couldn't find it, if that's wot you mean," ses Bob. "I
can gin'rally find things when I want to."

"You find me that cat, alive and well, and the money's yours, Bob," ses
George, 'ardly able to speak, now that 'e fancied the cat was still
alive.

Bob Pretty shook his 'ead. "No; that won't do," he ses. "S'pose I did
'ave the luck to find that pore animal, you'd say I'd had it all the time
and refuse to pay."

"I swear I wouldn't, Bob," ses George Barstow, jumping up.

"Best thing you can do if you want me to try and find that cat," says Bob
Pretty, "is to give me the fifteen pounds now, and I'll go and look for
it at once. I can't trust you, George Barstow."

"And I can't trust you," ses George Barstow.

"Very good," ses Bob, getting up; "there's no 'arm done. P'r'aps Joe
Clark 'll find the cat is dead and p'r'aps you'll find it's alive. It's
all one to me."

George Barstow walked off 'ome, but he was in such a state o' mind 'e
didn't know wot to do. Bob Pretty turning up 'is nose at fifteen pounds
like that made 'im think that Joe Clark 'ad promised to pay 'im more if
the cat was dead; and at last, arter worrying about it for a couple o'
hours, 'e came up to this 'ere _Cauliflower_ and offered Bob the fifteen
pounds.

"Wot's this for?" ses Bob.

"For finding my cat," ses George.

"Look here," ses Bob, handing it back, "I've 'ad enough o' your insults;
I don't know where your cat is."

"I mean for trying to find it, Bob," ses George Barstow.

"Oh, well, I don't mind that," ses Bob, taking it. "I'm a 'ard-working
man, and I've got to be paid for my time; it's on'y fair to my wife and
children. I'll start now."

He finished up 'is beer, and while the other chaps was telling George
Barstow wot a fool he was Joe Clark slipped out arter Bob Pretty and
began to call 'im all the names he could think of.

"Don't you worry," ses Bob; "the cat ain't found yet."

"Is it dead?" ses Joe Clark, 'ardly able to speak.

"'Ow should I know?" ses Bob; "that's wot I've got to try and find out.
That's wot you gave me your furniture for, and wot George Barstow gave me
the fifteen pounds for, ain't it? Now, don't you stop me now, 'cos I'm
goin' to begin looking."

He started looking there and then, and for the next two or three days
George Barstow and Joe Clark see 'im walking up and down with his