“Some will let him see how they’ve got it stitched in the waistband of their trowsers, while others will pull theirs from their fob, declaring they were told by one of the most experienced police-officers that it was quite as safe, and even safer, there than if it were sewed to their breeches, provided—and on this, sir, I would impress upon you that the trick mainly lies—it is rolled up quite tight, and then slipped into the watch-pocket edgewise, in a peculiar way. Whereupon they very kindly offer to put the countryman’s money in his fob, and to stow it away for him as safely as the experienced police-officer had done theirs.” “Yes, varra keyndly! varra! and preyme and seafe they’ll staw it awa’, I’ll be baund.” “Now, if you’ll allow me your purse, sir, for one moment, I’ll show you how the whole affair is managed.” Mr. Sandboys drew forth from the pocket of his trowsers the little red-cotton bag in which he carried his stock of gold and notes, and handed it over, as requested, to his fellow-traveller, saying, “Ise varra ’bleeged, I’se sure; an’ how I’ll ever pay tha for all thy guidness, I dunnet ken. Beant it keynd of t’ gentleman, now, Aggy?” But that lady made no reply; she merely watched, with intense interest, the operations of the strange gentleman. “You see,” said that person, as he took Mr. Sandboys’ purse in his hand, and commenced rolling it backwards and forwards on his knee, “it’s all done by what we call palming. If I intended to deceive you, now is the time I should do it; for while you fancied I was reducing the contents of your purse to the smallest possible compass, I really should be substituting another for it; and then I should proceed to place it all safe for you, thus—” Here the strange gentleman proceeded to lift up the long-waisted waistcoat of the grateful Mr. Sandboys, and introduced the small red-cotton bag, in which his money was contained, into his fob; after which he gave the purse a peculiar twist round,—for in this, he said, the London rogues made out that the whole virtue consisted. In reality, however, he told him, there was little or nothing at all in it, and it was only upon the very simplest people that the trick was ever attempted to be practised now-a-days. “Well, I sud say as much, for onie mon cud see through t’ trick wi hawf an eye,” exclaimed the Buttermere philosopher.