Adventure stories; Boys -- Fiction; East End (London, England) -- Fiction; Grandfathers -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction
"O, that's all right--all right for anybody else; but not for a pal like
me--not for a pal as is doin' y' a good turn. Besides, it ain't you
on'y; it's 'im. 'Ow'll 'e get on with the stuff? 'E won't be able to
change it, an' 'e'll be as short as you, an' p'rhaps get smugged with it
on 'im. That 'ud never do; an' I can get it changed. What part o'
Rotherhithe is it, eh? I can easy find 'im. Is it Dockhead?"
"There or anywhere, for all I know. I tell ye, George, I dunno no more'n
you. Let go my arm, go on."
But he gave it another pull--an angry one. "What? What?" he cried. "If
Dan knowed as you was keepin' 'is ol' pal George from doin' 'im a good
turn, what 'ud 'e do, eh? 'E'd give it you, my beauty, wouldn't 'e? Eh?
Eh?" He twisted the arm, ground his teeth, and raised his stick
menacingly.
But this was a little too much. He was a man, and stronger, but at any
rate he was blind. She rose and struggled to twist her arm from his
grasp. "If you don't put down that stick, George," she said, "if you
don't put it down an' let go my arm, I'll give it you same as Bob Kipps
got it--s'elp me I will! I'll give you the chive--I will! Don't you make
me desprit!"
He let go the wrist and laughed. "Whoa, beauty!" he cried; "don't make a
rumpus with a faithful pal! If you won't tell me I s'pose you won't,
bein' a woman; whether it's bad for Dan or not, eh?"
"I tell you I can't, George; I swear solemn I dunno no more'n
you--p'rhaps not so much. 'E ain't bin near nor sent nor nothing,
since--since then. That's gospel truth. If I do 'ear from 'im I'll--well
then I'll see."
"Will ye tell 'im, then? 'Ere, tell 'im this. Tell 'im he mustn't go
tryin' to sell them notes, or 'e'll be smugged. Tell 'im I can put 'im
in the way o' gettin' money for 'em--'ard quids, an' plenty on 'em. Tell
'im that, will ye? Tell 'im I'm a faithful pal, an' nobody can do it but
me. I know things you don't know about, nor 'im neither. Tell 'im
to-night. Will ye tell 'im to-night?"
"'Ow can I tell 'im to-night? I'll tell 'im right enough when I see 'im.
I s'pose you want to make your bit out of it, pal or not."
"There y'are!" he answered quickly. "There y'are! If you won't believe
in a pal, look at that! If I make a fair deal, man to man, with them
notes, an' get money for 'em instead o' smuggin'--quids instead o'
quod--I'll 'ave my proper reg'lars, won't I? An' proper reg'lars on all
that, paid square, 'ud be more'n I could make playin' the snitch, if
Dan'll be open to reason. See? You won't forget, eh?" He took her arm
again eagerly, above the elbow. "Know what to say, don't ye? Best for
all of us. 'E mustn't show them notes to a soul, till 'e sees me. _I'm_
a pal. _I_ got the little tip 'ow to do it proper--see? Now you know.
Gimme my fiddle. 'Ere we are. Where's the door? All right--don't
forget!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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