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 given some of his fellow scramblers a cuff or two, he was set upon
by the boys and country fellows, and compelled to make an inglorious
retreat with his table, which had been flung down in the scuffle, and had
one of its legs broken. As he retired, the rabble hooted, and Jack,
holding up in derision the pea with which he had out-manoeuvred him,
exclaimed, 'I always carry this in my pocket in order to be a match for
vagabonds like you.'

The tumult over, Jack gone, and the rabble dispersed, I followed the
discomfited adventurer at a distance, who, leaving the town, went slowly
on, carrying his dilapidated piece of furniture, till coming to an old
wall by the roadside, he placed it on the ground, and sat down, seemingly
in deep despondency, holding his thumb to his mouth. Going nearly up to
him, I stood still, whereupon he looked up, and perceiving I was looking
steadfastly at him, he said, in an angry tone, 'Arrah! what for are you
staring at me so? By my shoul, I think you are one of the thaives who
are after robbing me. I think I saw you among them, and if I were only
sure of it, I would take the liberty of trying to give you a big bating.'
'You have had enough of trying to give people a beating,' said I; 'you
had better be taking your table to some skilful carpenter to get it
repaired. He will do it for sixpence.'