.

"Is young Cadger a thief?" I next inquired.

The pipe laughed.

"Why, what a funny chap you are, Turnip!" it said.

"Does it look like it? Cadger a thief!--oh, my eye! not at all. Eh,
mate?"

The greasy string took up the laugh, and snivelled in chorus.

"Ho, ho! ain't he a funny chap? Do you hear. Turnip? ain't you a funny
chap? Oh, my eye! not at all."

It was disgusting! Not only was I cooped up in an abominably filthy
tail-coat pocket, with a motley rabble of disreputable associates, but
every time I opened my lips here I was insulted and laughed at for every
word I spoke.

However, I gathered that the purport of the reply to my last inquiry was
that the young Cadger _was_ a thief, and I made one more attempt to gain
information.

"Where are we going to now?" I asked.

"Going!" cried the pipe, with his insulting jeer.

"What, don't you know where you're a-going, old Turnip? You're a-going
wherever he takes yer; ain't he, mate?"

It was positively painful to see how that vile piece of string wriggled
as he replied,--

"Do you hear, Turnip? You're a-going wherever young Cadger takes yer.
Now what do you think of that?"

It was impossible to continue a conversation with such low, ill-mannered
creatures, and I therefore abandoned the attempt, having at least
ascertained that I was at present located in a thief's pocket, that my
immediate destination was vague, and that ultimately I might expect to
become the property of a near relative of my present possessor.

Noticing that I became silent, the pipe and the string between them
began to question me. But I was neither in the mood nor the desire to
gratify their curiosity. They therefore contented themselves with
cracking jokes at my expense, and thus we journeyed together a mile or
two towards our unknown destination.

Presently a dirty little hand came groping down into our place of
retreat. It first fumbled me and my chain, with a view, I suppose, to
ascertain if we were all safe, and then proceeded among the other
occupants of the pocket to secure and draw forth the half penny which I
have before mentioned.

I was relieved to have even one of my unpleasant companions removed, and
could not refrain from expressing my feelings by a sigh.

"What are you snivelling at, Turnip?" asked the pipe.

I did not deign to reply.

"Suppose yer think that there _sou_," (fancy the stump of a clay pipe
speaking French!) "is gone for good, and