urmise the nature of the relation existing between
her and him. Included in the company were several other "apple girls,"
whose proficiency as thieves entitled them to the distinction of being
considered as competent "Grabbers;" each one of these wretched young
creatures had her lover, of "fancy man," who was generally some low,
petty thief--although, among the male portion of the assembly, there
were several expert and daring robbers, the most distinguished of whom
was Jew Mike himself, whose skill as a burglar had elevated him to the
highly honorable position of captain of the "Grabbers."

The "lush" was freely handed round, and the company soon grew "half seas
over;" then came wildly exaggerated narratives of exploits in robbery,
thieving, and almost every species of crime, interspersed with smutty
anecdotes and obscene songs, in which the females of the company were
not a whit behind the males. At length Jew Mike himself was vociferously
called on for either a song or a story; and not being a vocalist, the
gentleman preferred entertaining his friends with the latter; so,
clearing his throat by an enormous draught of brandy, he began as
follows:

JEW MIKE'S STORY

"You see, lads and lasses, a year or two before I came to this
accursed country to be _jugged for a ten spot_, for manslaughter, (it
was a clear murder, though, and a good piece of work, too,) I was a
nobleman's butler in the great city of London. Ah, _that_ was the
place for a man to get a living in! No decent "Grabber," would stoop
to petty stealing there; beautiful burglaries, yielding hundreds of
pounds in silver plate; elegant highway robberies, producing piles of
guineas and heaps of diamond watches,--that was the business followed
by lads of the cross at that time in England. Well, there's no use in
crying over spilt milk, any how; I was obliged to step out of England
when the country got too hot to hold me, and if I returned there, by
G----! my life wouldn't be worth a moment's purchase. And now to go on
with my story. I was a nobleman's butler, and glorious times I had of
it--little to do, plenty of pickings and stealings, free access to the
pantry and wine-cellar, and enjoying terms of easy intimacy with the
prettiest chambermaid in London. The only drawback upon my happiness
was Lord Hawley's _valet_, a Frenchman, named Lagrange, who had been
in his lordship's service many years, an