the table, and wiping his forehead, sat down, quite at home.
Bill then deliberately seated himself, and unbuttoning his waistcoat,
permitted the butt-ends of a brace of pistols to be seen by his guests.
Mr. R----'s companion seemed very unmoved by this significant action.
He bent one inquiring, steady look on the cracksman, which, as Bill
afterwards said, went through him "like a gimlet through a penny," and
taking out a purse, through the network of which the sovereigns gleamed
pleasantly, placed it on the table and said,--

"This purse is yours if you will tell me what has become of a woman
named Joplin, with whom you left the village of ----, in Lancashire, in
the year 18--."

"And," put in Mr. R----, "the gentleman wants to know, with no view of
harming the woman. It will be to her own advantage to inform us where
she is."

"'Pon honour again?" said Bill.

"'Pon honour!"

"Well, then, I has a heart in my buzzom, and if so be I can do a good
turn to the 'oman wot I has loved and kep' company with, why not?"

"Why not, indeed?" said Mr. R----. "And as we want to learn, not only
what has become of Mrs. Joplin, but what she did with the child she
carried off from ----, begin at the beginning and tell us all you know."

Bill mused. "How much is there in the pus?"

"Eighteen sovereigns."

"Make it twenty--you nod--twenty then? A bargain! Now I'll go on right
ahead. You see as how, some months arter we--that is, Peggy Joplin and
self--left ----, I was put in quod in Lancaster jail; so I lost sight of
the blowen. When I got out and came to Lunnun, it was a matter of seven
year afore, all of a sudding, I came bang up agin her,--at the corner
of Common Garden. 'Why, Bill!' says she. 'Why, Peggy!' says I; and we
bussed each other like winky. 'Shall us come together agin?' says she.
'Why, no,' says I; 'I has a wife wots a good 'un, and gets her bread by
setting up as a widder with seven small childern. By the by, Peg, what's
a come of your brat?' for as you says, sir, Peg had a child put out to
her to nurse. Lor', how she cuffed it! 'The brat!' says she, laughing
like mad, 'oh, I got rid o' that when you were in jail, Bill.' 'As how?'
says I. 'Why, there was a woman begging agin St. Poll's churchyard; so I
purtended to see a friend at a distance: "'Old the babby a moment," says
I, puffing and panting, "while I ketches my friend yonder." So she 'olds
the brat, and I never sees it agin; and there's an ind of the bother