the Slogger said it would
be of no use, and might be too late. Would she just run round an' see
her? The girl acted on the spur of the moment. In her exuberant
sympathy she hurried down an alley, round a corner, under an archway,
and walked straight into the lion's den!

There Mr Brassey, the lion, promptly introduced himself, and requested
the loan of her purse and watch! The poor girl at once understood her
position, and turned to fly, but a powerful hand on her arm prevented
her. Then she tried to shriek, but a powerful hand on her mouth
prevented that also. Then she fainted. Not wishing to be found in an
awkward position, Mr Brassey and the Slogger searched her pockets
hastily, and, finding nothing therein, retired precipitately from the
scene, taking her little dog with them. As they did so the young girl
recovered, sprang wildly up, and rushing back through the court and
alley, dashed into the main thoroughfare. The two thieves saw her
attempt to cross, saw a cab-horse knock her down, saw a crowd rush to
the spot and then saw no more, owing to pressing engagements requiring
their immediate presence elsewhere.

"There--that's wot the Slogger told me," said little Slidder, with
flushed cheeks and excited looks, "an' I made him give me an exact
description o' the gal, which was a facsimilar o' the pictur' painted o'
Miss Edie Willis by her own grandmother--as like as two black cats."

"This is interesting, _very_ interesting, my boy," said I, stopping and
looking at the pavement; "but I fear that it leaves us no clew with
which to prosecute the search."

"Of course it don't," rejoined Robin, with one of his knowing looks;
"but do you think I'd go an aggrawate myself about the thing if I 'adn't
more to say than that?"

"Well, what more have you to say?"

"Just this, that ever since my talk wi' the Slogger I've bin making wery
partikler inquiries at all the chemists and hospitals round about where
he said the accident happened, an' I've diskivered one hospital where I
'appens to know the porter, an' I got him to inwestigate, an' he found
there was a case of a young gal run over on the wery day this happened.
She got feverish, he says, an' didn't know what she was sayin' for
months, an' nobody come to inquire arter her, an when she began to git
well she sent to Vitechapel to inquire for 'er grandmother, but 'er
grandmother was gone, nobody knowed where. Then the young gal got wuss,
then she got better,