im
kept from coming in, by jingo! I soon found he was coming to search the
house. So I bolted out of bed like a shot, put my clothes into a
drawer, and up I went through a sort of trap-door on to the roof of the
house, and perched myself behind the chimney of the next house, with
nothing on but my shirt and stockings; I hadn't time even to get my
trousers pulled on. Oh! didn't I sit shivering there till they gave me
the tip that all was right in the house. The 'toff' that owned the
'wedge' made a dreadful song about it next day, and him wallowing in
wealth, what do you think of that? The copper knew I did that job, and
had me up on suspicion some time after, and gave me a drag (three
months) over it. The next bit I did was a 'sixer' (six months), and I
escaped from prison in about three weeks after I got it. Soon after
that I got this seven 'stretch' (years), and, by the piper! I'll take
care and not get the next for nothing!"

"Oh! crikey," cried Pat, "here's a new screw come; what has he been, I
wonder?"

"Where is he?" said Ned.

"Yonder; he is coming this way, with a tall complexion, a leg o' mutton
whisker, and a pock-marked shirt," replied Pat.

"Why, he's a big fellow?"

"Big! I should think he was. He is like a double-breasted beer barrel.
He's been a screw at some other prison; you can see that by the cut of
his jib."

"Oh! I know him," said Dick, "he's from Dartmoor; he is not a bad sort
of fellow, that. He is straightforward, and if ever he takes a prisoner
before the governor he speaks the truth, and you know they don't all do
that, by a long way."

"How long were you at the Moor, Dick?"

"Three years; but it's not like the same place now. Oh! we had rare
sport there at one time. There was an old half 'barmey' chap when I was
there, who was once admitted to the 'communion,' and it happened to be
his turn to get the wine first, and, by the piper! if he didn't drink
every drop that was in the cup, and cried, 'Oh! that's fine! I do love
this! I do love this!' We had plum pudding at Christmas in those days,
and the roughs did anything they liked almost, if they didn't strike a
screw. There was too much license there then, but now it's all the
other way. What good is this humbugging system going to do us? If they
want to keep us out of prison why don't they get work for us that we
can earn a proper living at?"

"Oh! they're a lot of jackasses, that's what they are; they don't know
what to do with us,