e of rope lying among some rubbish.

"Ha! this'll do," he whispered, as he took it up, and, with wonderful
rapidity, made a loop on it.

"Now, Jim, you be ready to cut and run if he should waken before I 'ave
'im fast. Don't mind me; I'll look arter myself. An' wotever you do,
_don't holler for the bobbies_. Mind that, else I'll strangle you."

With this advice and caution, the Bloater advanced toward the recumbent
man, and passed the rope softly round his body, including his arms and
the bedpost in the coil. Drawing it suddenly tight, he hastily made it
fast; but there was no occasion for haste, for the sleep of the man was
so profound that the action did not awake him.

"Hall right--fus' rate," said the Bloater aloud, as he wound the rope
round and round Sparks, so as to make him doubly secure. "Nothin' could
be better. Now, Jim, I'm goin' for to preach a sermon to-night--a sort
o' discoorse. You never heard me preach, did you?"

Little Jim, who, despite his love of mischief, was somewhat alarmed at
the strange proceedings of his friend and patron, looked at him with a
mingled expression of fear and glee, and shook his head.

"Well, you shall 'ear. Moreover, I 'ope that you'll profit by wot you
'ears."

Saying this, he advanced his hand towards the sleeping man's face, and,
causing his thumb to act as a trigger to his middle finger, gave him
such a flip on the point of his nose, that he awoke with a tremendous
roar. Suddenly he became pale as death--supposing, no doubt, that he
had betrayed himself--and glanced towards the door with a bewildered
stare.

"Oh, you needn't alarm yourself," said the Bloater, placing a stool in
front of his victim, and sitting down thereon, with a hand on each knee,
"it ain't the bobbies. If you keep quiet, there's no fear of _them_ in
this neighbourhood. I can call 'em w'en I wants 'em. There's nobody
but me and Little Jim 'ere--your friends, you know."

Becoming suddenly convinced of the truth of this, Phil Sparks, who was
very drunk, made so desperate an effort to free himself that he nearly
overturned the bed.

"Oh, you are anxious to see the bobbies, are you? Well, go an' call 'em
in, Jim."

Jim rose to obey, and the man became instantly quiet.

"Ho! you're reasonable now, are you? That's well. You needn't call 'em
in yet, Jim. We'll grant 'im a reprieve. Fetch that stool, an' sit
down beside me--there. Now, Mr Sparks, _alias_ Blazes, no doubt
_you're_