owed him to a public house.

"He is acting as a detective, sure enough," Emerson said. "The question
is, what are we to do next?"

In half an hour Mark came out again. Several people nodded to him as he
passed them, but they saw a big man, who happened to be standing under
a lamp, turn his back suddenly as Mark approached him, and, after he had
passed, stand scowling after him, and muttering deep curses. Flash
at once went up to him. "Do you know who that fellow is, my man?" The
fellow turned savagely upon him.

"I don't know who he is; but what is that to you?"

"He is not a friend of ours," Flash said quietly; "quite the contrary.
We have known him when he was not got up like this, and we are rather
curious to know what he is doing here."

"Do you mean that?"

"I do; I owe the fellow a grudge."

"So do I," the man growled. "Just step up this next turning; there won't
be anyone about there. Now, then, what do yer want to know?"

"I want to know who he is."

"Well, he calls himself a hawker; but my idea of him is he is one of the
fancy, perhaps a west countryman, who is keeping dark here till he can
get a match on. I have been a prize fighter myself, but he knocked me
out in three rounds the other day."

"Well, the last time I saw him," Flash said, "he was dressed as a swell.
My idea of him is, he is a Bow Street runner, and he is got up like this
to lay his hands on some of the fellows down here."

"You don't mean it!" the man said with a deep oath. "Then I can tell you
he has come to the wrong shop. I have only got to whisper it about, and
his life would not be worth an hour's purchase. I had meant to stick
a knife in him on the first opportunity, but this will save me the
trouble."

"Well, you can have your revenge and five guineas besides," Flash said.
"But we must be there at the time. I should like him to know that I was
at the bottom of his being caught."

They stood talking together for a few minutes, and then separated, Flash
and his companion going back to a quiet lodging they had taken until
they could finish their arrangements for disposing of their furniture
and belongings before going abroad, while at the same time they finished
plucking a country greenhorn they had met at a coffee house. Two days
later, wrapped up in great coats, and with rough caps pulled down over
their eyes, they entered the thieves' resort half an hour before Mark's
usual time of getting there. A larger number of men t