o mend it for 'im. I won't charge 'im
nothing. If you drop it down I'll do it now."

"Thankee," ses Mrs. Pretty; "if you just wait a moment I'll clear the
pockets out and drop it down to you."

She turned back into the bedroom, and Dicky Weed ground 'is teeth
together and told Bill Chambers that the next time he took 'is advice
he'd remember it. He stood there trembling all over with temper, and
when Mrs. Pretty came to the winder agin and dropped the coat on his 'ead
and said that Bob felt his kindness very much, and he 'oped Dicky ud make
a good job of it, because it was 'is favrite coat, he couldn't speak.
He stood there shaking all over till Mrs. Pretty 'ad shut the winder down
agin, and then 'e turned to the conjurer, as 'ad come up with the rest of
us, and asked 'im wot he was going to do about it now.

"I tell you he's got the watch," ses the conjurer, pointing up at the
winder. "It went into 'is pocket. I saw it go. He was no more shot
than you were. If 'e was, why doesn't he send for the doctor?"

"I can't 'elp that," ses Dicky Weed. "I want my watch or else twenty
pounds."

"We'll talk it over in a day or two," ses the conjurer. "I'm giving my
celebrated entertainment at Wickham Fair on Monday, but I'll come back
'ere to the Cauliflower the Saturday before and give another
entertainment, and then we'll see wot's to be done. I can't run away,
because in any case I can't afford to miss the fair."

Dicky Weed gave way at last and went off 'ome to bed and told 'is wife
about it, and listening to 'er advice he got up at six o'clock in the
morning and went round to see 'ow Bob Pretty was.

Mrs. Pretty was up when 'e got there, and arter calling up the stairs to
Bob told Dicky Weed to go upstairs. Bob Pretty was sitting up in bed
with 'is face covered in bandages, and he seemed quite pleased to see
'im.

"It ain't everybody that ud get up at six o'clock to see 'ow I'm getting
on," he ses. "You've got a feeling 'art, Dicky."

Dicky Weed coughed and looked round, wondering whether the watch was in
the room, and, if so, where it was hidden.

"Now I'm 'ere I may as well tidy up the room for you a bit," he ses,
getting up. "I don't like sitting idle."

"Thankee, mate," ses Bob; and 'e lay still and watched Dicky Weed out of
the corner of the eye that wasn't covered with the bandages.

I don't suppose that room 'ad ever been tidied up so thoroughly since the
Prettys 'ad lived there, but Dicky Wee