Mrs. Bailey as a hawker, but before long he openly acknowledged
his real character as an accomplished burglar. With characteristic
insistence Peace declared his passion for Mrs. Bailey by threatening
to shoot her if she did not become his. Anxious friends sent for her to
soothe the distracted man. Peace had been drowning care with the help
of Irish whiskey. He asked "his pet" if she were not glad to see him, to
which the lady replied with possible sarcasm: "Oh, particularly, very,
I like you so much." Next day Peace apologised for his rude behaviour
of the previous evening, and so melted the heart of Mrs. Bailey that she
consented to become his mistress, and from that moment discarding the
name of Bailey is known to history as Mrs. Thompson.

Life in Nottingham was varied pleasantly by burglaries carried out with
the help of information supplied by Mrs. Adamson. In the June of 1877
Peace was nearly detected in stealing, at the request of that worthy,
some blankets, but by flourishing his revolver he contrived to get
away, and, soon after, returned for a season to Hull. Here this hunted
murderer, with L100 reward on his head, took rooms for Mrs. Thompson and
himself at the house of a sergeant of police. One day Mrs. Peace, who
was still keeping her shop in Hull, received a pencilled note saying, "I
am waiting to see you just up Anlaby Road." She and her stepson, Willie
Ward, went to the appointed spot, and there to their astonishment stood
her husband, a distinguished figure in black coat and trousers, top
hat, velvet waistcoat, with stick, kid gloves, and a pretty little fox
terrier by his side. Peace told them of his whereabouts in the town, but
did not disclose to them the fact that his mistress was there also. To
the police sergeant with whom he lodged, Peace described himself as
an agent. But a number of sensational and successful burglaries at
the houses of Town Councillors and other well-to-do citizens of Hull
revealed the presence in their midst of no ordinary robber. Peace had
some narrow escapes, but with the help of his revolver, and on one
occasion the pusillanimity of a policeman, he succeeded in getting away
in safety. The bills offering a reward for his capture were still to
be seen in the shop windows of Hull, so after a brief but brilliant
adventure Peace and Mrs. Thompson returned to Nottingham.

Here, as the result of further successful exploits, Peace found a reward
of L50 offered for his capture. On