s supplied. Thereupon the cabman continued--

"When I 'as a bit of business ter do yer must understand that I does it,
and that no man can say as I doesn't. A gent gets into my keb and sez
he, 'Drive me until I tell yer to stop, and go as fast as yer can,' sez
he. 'Take every back street yer know of, and come out somewhere Hoxton
way. I'm not partic'lar so long as I go fast, an' I don't git collared
by the keb that's after us. If yer help me to give 'im the slip there's
a five-poun' note for yer trouble.' Well, sez I to myself, this is a
proper bit of busness and there and then I sets off as fast as the old
'orse cud take us. We turns up Southampton Street, and you turns up
after us. As we was agoin' down 'enrietta Street I asked him to let me
'ave a look at his five-poun' note, for I didn't want no Bank of Fashion
or any of that sort of truck shoved into me, you'll understand. 'You
needn't be suspicious, Cabby,' sez he, 'I'll make it suverings, if you
like, and half a one over for luck, if that will satisfy yer? 'When I
told him it would, he give me two poun' ten in advance and away we went
again. We weren't more than 'arf a mile away from here--thank ye, sir, I
don't mind if I do, it's cold drivin'--well, as I was a sayin' we wasn't
more than 'arf a mile away from here, when the gent he stands up and sez
to me, 'Look here, Kebby, turn the next corner pretty sharp, and slow
down at the first bye-street you come to. Then I'll jump out,' 'Right
yer are, guvner,' sez I, and with that he 'ands me up the other two
poun' ten and the extry half-suvering. I fobbed it and whipped up the
old 'oss. Next moment we was around the corner, and a-drivin' as if we
was a trying to ketch a train. Then we comes to a little side street,
an' I slows down. Out 'e jumps and down he goes along a side street as
if the devil was arter him. Then I drives on my way and pulls up 'ere.
Bilked you were, guvner, and I don't mind sayin' so, but busness is
busness, and five poun' ten ain't to be picked up every day. I guess the
old woman will be all there when I get 'ome to-night."

"That's all very well, cabby," I said, "but it's just likely you want to
add another sovereign to that five-pound ten. If you do I don't mind
putting another in your way. I tell you that I want to catch the man I
was after to-night. He's as big a thief as ever walked the earth, and if
you will help me to put my hand upon him, you'll be doing a service, not
only to me, but to