old me
whereabouts I could get lodgings, and advised me to apply to one
of the men who let out a number of sedan chairs, to hire one out
to me by the week.

"Well, your honour, once I had taken the lodging, I thought no
more of the chair, but went about the business for which I had
come to London. I had not been an hour in the town before I made
the acquaintance of half a dozen, at least, of my countrymen, and
found out which was the prison in which you were kept. At first, I
thought of going there and giving myself up, on condition that I
might be employed as your servant. Then I thought, perhaps they
would not keep their word to me, but would send me back to
Harwich; and then the thought struck me that I might, some way or
other, get your honours out of prison.

"When I first saw the place, it seemed to me that it was
impossible. The place was mighty strong, the windows all barred,
and I had no means of finding out where you were lodged. I spent a
whole day in prowling round and round the jail, but sorra an idea
came into my thick head, though I bate it wid my fists till it was
sore; for, says I to myself, there is no lock so strong but it can
be picked, if you do but know the right way. It was the second
day, when I espied a little bit of white stuff at one of the
windows. It might be a signal, or it might not, and even if it
was, there was no reason why it should be yours, except that, I
said to myself:

"'Mr. Kennedy is not the boy to sit quiet in prison, if he can see
any possible way of slipping out of it. His head is crammed full
of ideas. So I will walk near and investigate the matter.'

"As I came close, I could make out that there was someone behind
the bars, but I could not see who it was. Of course, I did not
come straight to the spot, but went about promiscuously.

"For anything I could tell, there might be someone in the towers
watching me. Then I saw a hand drop a little white parcel, and I
found it without much trouble and went off with it. It was as much
as I could do, to keep myself from running like a madman, for I
felt somehow sure that it was you who had dropped it, but of
course, it was not until I got it read for me that I was certain.

"After that, your honour, it was all easy enough. You told me what
to do, and I did it. There was a little difficulty about the saw,
but I got it through one of the chair men, who told me, when I
asked him, that he had the acquaintance of some cracksmen--