onvey.

"In who?" he asked.

Monkey looked surprised and somewhat resentful.

"Why, Mr. Joses, o' cos."

"What's he done now?" asked the young man.

Monkey withdrew into the shadow of the door.

"That," he said, producing the five-pound note.

Jim handled it.

"What did he give you that for?"

"Why, for lookin' down me nose and sayin A-a men. The rest's to follow
to-morrow midnight--five of 'em--if I'm a good boy, as I 'opes to be.
Goin' to drop into me lap same as manners from the ceilin' when Moses
was around--while I sleeps like a suckin' innocent."

The young man thought.

"Have you told Mr. Woodburn?"

"No, sir. I told no one--only you."

"Shall you tell the police?"

"Never!" cried Monkey, genuinely indignant. "Are I a copper's nark?"

Whether because of childhood memories, or for some other reason, the
copper was still for Monkey Brand the enemy of the human race; and the
little jockey had his own code of honour, to which he scrupulously
adhered.

"What shall you do?" asked Jim.

The jockey jerked his head mysteriously. Then he limped away down the
gangway, behind sleeping horses, into the loose-box at the end where
stood Four-Pound-the-Second.

Carefully he closed the door behind the young man and put his lantern
down.

"See, you thought I was on the crook, didn't you, sir?" he said
ironically, pursing his eye-lids.

"So you are," replied the young man.

Monkey wagged his head sententiously.

"Oh, I'm on the crook all right in a manner o' speakin'," he admitted.
"Only where it is, there's crooks and crooks. There's crooks that is on
the straight--"

"And there's straights that is on the crook," interposed Jim. "As per
item, Monkey Brand."

* * * * *

Next morning Silver went to see Old Mat in his office and opened to him
a tale; but the trainer, who seemed very sleepy these days, refused to
hear him.

"I knows nothin' about nothin'," he said almost querulously, pursing his
lips, and sheathing his eyes. "As to rogues and rasqueals, you knows my
views by now, Mr. Silver. Same as the Psalmist's, as I've said afore. As
for the rest, I'm an old man--older nor I can recollect. All I asks is
to lay down and die quiet and peaceable with nothin' on me conscience
only last night's cheese."

CHAPTER XLIII

The Loose-box

Next night Boy Woodburn was unusually late to bed.

Sunday nights she always devoted to preparing the Bible-lesson for next