ime--and here I am. Now, comrades, you have heard my
story; that it has been a long one, and a dry one, I grant--at all
events, the narration of it has made _me_ confoundedly dry. Here's a
health to jolly thieves all the world over, and confusion to honesty,
the law, and the police!"

[B] Acute and sagacious as Jew Mike was, it did not occur to him, in his
trepidation and alarm, that the note which he had just read, and which
was in Lady Hawley's own handwriting, would clearly exonerate him from
all suspicion of his having murdered her. But guilt is sometimes
singularly short-sighted, and Mike, as cunning a villain as he was,
threw aside or perhaps destroyed the only evidence he could have
possibly produced to substantiate his innocence.

Jew Mike did honor to his own toast in a bumper of brandy; nor were the
others backward in following his example. Sow Nance, who had just awoke
from a sound sleep, swore it was the most capital story she had ever
heard in her life, which opinion she enforced by many oaths that we need
not repeat. 'Charcoal Bill' and 'Indian Marth' were loud in their
expressions of delight; and Jew Mike had the satisfaction of perceiving
that he had pleased his audience, and made himself the hero of the
night. A general conversation followed, which lasted until the Jew, as
chairman of the meeting and Captain of the _Grabbers_, called the
assembly to order, and announced that Sow Nance had the
floor;--whereupon silence was restored, and that lady gave utterance to
the following words, in a hoarse voice.--Her remarks were copiously
interspersed with oaths, which, out of respect for the reader's feelings
and our own credit, we omit:--

"Well, gals and fellers, being as how my Mike here has been a blowin'
off his gas, I might as well blow mine. You all know how I first came
to be se-duced, don't yer? It was a rich State street lawyer wot first
did it, when I was 'leven years old. Ha, ha, ha! a jolly old cock he
was, with a bald head and a face all over red pimples--he used to be
mighty fond of us girls, I tell yer. Maybe I didn't use to suck the
money out of him, by threatenin' to _blow_ on him--well, I did! Yer
all know how I had a young-'un, and how--ha, ha, ha!--the brat was
found, the next day after it was born, dead in the _Black Sea_; it
never died no nat'ral death that young-'un didn't, yer can bet yer
life; the old Cor'ner wasn't far out of the way when he said in his