or nibbled_--Secured or taken.

~83~~farther, so let us _brush_{1} on." Then pulling his Cousin by the
arm, they moved forward to the scene of action.

As they approached St. Martin's Lane, the gathering of the crowd, which
was now immense, indicated to Tom a capture.

"Button up," said he, "and let us see what's the matter."

"_Arrah be easy_" cried a voice which they instantly recognized to be no
other than Pat Murphy's. "I'll hold you, my dear, till the night after
Doomsday, though I can't tell what day of the year that is. Where's the
man wid the _gould-laced skull-cap_? Sure enough I tought I'd be up wi'
you, and so now you see I'm down upon you."

At this moment a Street-keeper made way through the crowd, and Tom
and Bob keeping close in his rear, came directly up to the principal
performers in this interesting scene, and found honest Pat Murphy
holding the man by his collar, while he was twisting and writhing to get
released from the strong and determined grasp of the athletic Hibernian.

Pat no sooner saw our Heroes, than he burst out with a lusty "Arroo!
arroo! there's the sweet-looking jontleman that's been robbed by a dirty
_spalpeen_ that's not worth the tail of a rotten red-herring. I'll give
charge of dis here pick'd bladebone of a dead donkey that walks about in
God's own daylight, dirting his fingers wid what don't belong to him at
all at all. So sure as the devil's in his own house, and that's London,
you've had your pocket pick'd, my darling, and that's news well worth
hearing"--addressing himself to Dashall.

By this harangue it was pretty clearly understood that Murphy had been
in pursuit of the pickpocket, and Tom immediately gave charge.

The man, however, continued to declare he was not the right
person--"That, so help him G----d, the Irishman had got the wrong
bull by the tail--that he was a b----dy _snitch_{2} and that he would
_sarve him out_{3}--that he wished

1 _Brush_--Be off.

2 _Snitch_--A term made use of by the light-fingered tribe,
to signify an informer, by whom they have been impeached or
betrayed--So a person who turns king's evidence against his
accomplices is called a Snitch.

3 _Serve him out_--To punish, or be revenged upon any person
for any real or supposed injury.

~84~~he might meet him out of St. Giles's, and he would _wake_{ 1} him
with an _Irish howl_."

1 Wake with an Irish howl--An Irish Wake, which is no
un