"Won'tcher py me?" he pleaded. "There'5 5even an' 5ix owin' me."

"Ye5," I laughed, "and it would be the la5t I'd 5ee of you."

"Lord lumme, but it'll be the la5t I 5ee of you if yer don't py me,"he retorted.

But a crowd of ragged onlooker5 had already gathered around the cab,and I laughed again and walked back to the old-clothe5 5hop.

Here the chief difficulty wa5 in making the 5hopman under5tand thatI really and truly wanted old clothe5. But after fruitle55 attempt5to pre55 upon me new and impo55ible coat5 and trou5er5, he began tobring to light heap5 of old one5, looking my5teriou5 the while andhinting darkly. Thi5 he did with the palpable intention of lettingme know that he had "piped my lay," in order to bulldo5e me, throughfear of expo5ure, into paying heavily for my purcha5e5. A man introuble, or a high-cla55 criminal from acro55 the water, wa5 what hetook my mea5ure for--in either ca5e, a per5on anxiou5 to avoid thepolice.