rt's ankles. But the plotters were much too knowing to speak in
tones that could be easily overheard. Besides, other noisy people were
arguing in the neighbouring and opposite compartments, so that the
confusion of tongues rendered them, they thought, safe. Even the man
under the seat although so very near, would have failed to catch the
drift of a single sentence had not the name of Laidlaw sharpened his
ears and faculties. One that he did catch, however, was suggestive,
viz., "put the 50 pound note in his bag," or something to that effect.

When the two friends rose to depart, Trumps sank noiselessly on the
ground like a filthy shadow, but the quick eye of the lawyer caught
sight of his leg.

Lockhart started, turned aside, and gave Trumps a kick in the ribs. It
was a sharp painful kick, but drew from him only a heavy snore. To make
quite sure the man of law administered another kick. This caused the
recumbent man to growl forth a savage oath which terminated in a snore
so very natural that the lawyer fell into the trap, and went off with
the contemptuous remark--"Dead drunk!"

Trumps, however, was very much the reverse. He was indeed all alive and
greatly sobered by his nap as well as by what he had heard. He rose and
followed the plotters, but missed them in the crowd outside. In his
anxiety to overtake them he ran somewhat violently against Tommy Splint,
and thus arrested him, as we have said, in the pursuit of pleasure.

"Hallo, Thunderbolt!" exclaimed the boy sternly, as he started back and
doubled his fists, "who let _you_ out o' Noogate?"

The thief was about to pass without deigning a reply, when, glancing at
the small questioner, he suddenly stopped and held out his hand.

"I say, Splint, is it _you_ I've run into?"

"Well, it's uncommon like me. Any'ow, not a twin brother, I s'pose it
must be myself. But I hain't got the pleasure o' _your_ acquaintance as
I knows on."

"What! Don't you remember Trumps?"

"No, I don't remember Trumps, an', wot's more, I don't b'lieve from the
look of 'im that any of Trumps's family or friends wants to remember
'im."

The possibility that the boy might remember Trumps was not so unlikely
after all, for, being of a highly social disposition, Tommy was pretty
well acquainted with, and known to, nearly all the thieves and
pickpockets of the locality. Indeed he would certainly have been one of
themselves but for garret-garden influences.

"Well, Tommy,"