“Wha' for? Wha's that for? All right! I ain't going to wake Tom.” He stepped unsteadily on a shoe that lay sidewise, stumbled, and fell noisily on the floor. There he lay a moment, and then scrambled back to his feet, shaking and grumbling. “What's the matter?” Coglan cried, now awake in the shop. “Nothin', Tommy! I'm gettin' back, Tommy!” “What you doin' with thot light?” “Nothin', Tommy.” Allen stood still. When Coglan came stamping unevenly to the door, he only made a quick shift of the lamp to his left hand, and thrust the other inside his coat till he felt the wooden handle of the chisel. “Oi!” said Coglan. His eyes seemed more prominent than ever, his face and neck heavier with the drink and sleep than was even natural. Allen looked at him with narrowed eyes. “He's broke out,” Shays said, feebly deprecating. “He's goin' off,” and sat on the bed to pull on his shoes. “Is he thot!” said Coglan. Coglan turned back slowly into the shop. Shays shuffled after. Allen followed, too, with the lamp and said nothing, but put the lamp on the table. Coglan sat down, drank from the black bottle, and wiped his mouth. The first dim light of the morning was in the windows. “I'll be getting along, Jimmy,” said Allen. “I'll take your razor.” Coglan wiped his mouth again. “An' ye'd be goin' widout takin' advice of a sinsible mon, Hicksy, an' a friend in need! Sure, sure! Didn't I say ye weren't a wise mon? Nor Jimmy here, he ain't a wise mon. An' ain't I proved it? Ain't it so? Would ye be jailed if ye was a wise mon? No! Here ye are again, an' ye'd be runnin' away this time of the mornin', an' be took by a polaceman on the first corner. I do laugh an' I do wape over ye, Hicksy. I do laugh an wape. An' all because ye won't take advice.” “What's your advice?” Coglan moved uneasily and cleared his throat. “'Tis this, for ye're rasonable now, sure! Ye'll hide in the back room a day or two. Quiet, aisy, safe! Jimmy an' me to watch. An' what happens to ye? Ye gets away some night wid the night before ye.” He lowered his voice and gestured with closed fist. “Ye'll lie under Jimmy's bed. The polaceman comes. 'Hicks!' says Jimmy, 'we ain't seen Hicks.' 'Hicks!' says I, 'Hicks be dommed! If he's broke jail he's left for Chiney maybe.' I ask ye, do they look under Jimmy's bed? No! What do they do? Nothin'!” Allen drew a step back. “You're right about one thing,” he said. “That reward would be easy picking for you.” “What's thot?” “I ain't a wise man. I know it. But I know you. That's what it is. I'm going now.” “Ye're not!” “Hicksy!” cried Shays feebly. “Tom, don't ye do it!” Coglan plunged around the table and grasped at Allen's throat, at Allen's hand, which had shot behind his head, gripping the heavy chisel. Allen dodged him, and struck, and jumped after as Coglan staggered, and struck again. The corner of the chisel seemed to sink into Coglan's head.