"The other day I heard a bloke talking about a 'picking-up moll' he used to live with. What did he mean by that?" "O! that's a very common racket. He meant a 'flash-tail,' or prostitute who goes about the streets at nights trying to pick up 'toffs.' When she manages to do this her accomplice the coshman (a man who carries a 'cosh' or life preserver) comes up, when she has signed to him that she has got the 'toff's' watch and chain, and quarrels with him for meddling with his wife. Whilst the quarrel is going on the moll walks off with the booty. I know one coshman who pretends to be a missionary, and wears a white choker. Instead of quarrelling, he talks seriously to the 'toff' about the sin of fornication, and advises him to pursue a more becoming life in future, and finishes off by giving him a religious tract!" "Now I have nearly finished my questions, but whilst there is time tell me about 'magging,' and 'mag-flying.'" "Magging is not so good a game as it used to be. It means more particularly, swindling a greenhorn out of his cash by the mere gift of the gab. You know if it were not for the flats, how could the sharps live? You can 'mag' a man at any time you are playing cards or at billiards, and in various other ways. As for 'mag-flying,' that is not good for much. You have seen those blokes at fairs and races, throwing up coppers, or playing at pitch and toss? Well these are 'mag-flyers.' The way they do it is to have a penny with two heads or two tails on it, which they call a 'grey,' and of course they can easily dupe flats from the country." "How do they call it a 'grey,' I wonder?" "I suppose they have named it after Sir George Grey, because he is a two-faced bloke." "Well then tell me about 'locusing,' and 'bellowsing.'" "Locusing is putting a chap to sleep with chloroform, and bellowsing is putting his light out. In other words, drugging and murder." "Now then, shew me how to hang a fellow up, or put the 'flimp' on him, as you call it." "D'ye see that bone in the wrist? Just get that on the windpipe--so," (shewing me practically how to garotte). While at this interesting experiment we heard a voice cry, "Cheese it, cheese it, Harry! there's the 'Screw' looking at you!" which warned us that the prison warder was also taking notes, and my lesson for that day came to a rather abrupt conclusion. CHAPTER VIII. ANOTHER COMPANION--A CAREER OF CRIME--HIS OPINIONS ABOUT RELIGION AND CHURCH RATES--AN INCURABLE: HIS OPINION ABOUT FLOGGING. Another of my companions in hospital gave me the particulars of his history in answer to my enquiries. I give them precisely in his own words:--