orld. Do you see that little old man with a cough on him?
Well, his game is 'needy-mizzling.' He'll go out without a shirt,
perhaps, and beg one from house to house. I have known him to get
thirty 'mill-togs'[14] in one day, which, at a 'bob' apiece, would fetch
their thirty shillings. When he can't go on that 'racket,' he'll turn
'mumper' and wood merchant (which means a seller of lucifer matches);
and sometimes he will take to rag and bone collecting."

[12] Sentenced.

[13] Policemen.

[14] Shirts.

"What do you call a 'shallow-bloke?'"

"He is a cove that acts the turnpike sailor; pretends he has been
shipwrecked, and so on, or he gets his arm bandaged, and put in a
sling. I once knew two blokes who went to an old captain's house on
that game, and as they were not able to reply to some of his nautical
questions, he and his son gave them a regular horsewhipping. When they
got home they boasted to a lot of their 'chums' how much they had
screwed out of the old captain. This induced some of them to go on the
same 'racket,' and of course they met with the same warm reception.
These 'shallow-blokes' turn 'duffers' sometimes. They get some
'duffing' silk handkerchiefs and cigars, and go about selling them for
smuggled goods; or perhaps they will take to singing in the streets.
But I spoke of 'snotter-hauling.' Although I think you are too old for
that 'racket'--and unless you were very hard up and in a crowd, I would
not bother about it. It would not pay for the risk run. It does best
for 'kids.'[15] A little boy can sneak behind a 'toff' and relieve him
of his 'wipe' as easily as possible. I know a little fellow who used to
make seven 'bob' a-day at it on the average; but there were more silk
'wipes' used then than there are now."

[15] Boys.

"What do you mean by 'lob-sneaking,' and 'Peter-screwing?"

"Why, 'lob' means the till, and 'Peter' means a safe. Stealing the till
and opening the safe is what we call 'lob-sneaking and Peter-screwing.'"

"And what is 'jumping' and 'jilting?'"

"'Jumping' is getting into a house through the window; and 'jilting' is
getting in on the sly, or on false pretences at the door, and sneaking
what you can find. It's not a bad game to go into hotels, for instance,
as a traveller, and as soon as you see a chance to sneak anything, to
bolt with it. I know some fellows who make a fair living in this way."

"Then there is 'twisting' and 'fencing?'"

"When