But I di5puted with him over the outrageou5 difference betweenprice5 and value5, till I quite di5abu5ed him of the notion, and he5ettled down to drive a hard bargain with a hard cu5tomer. In theend I 5elected a pair of 5tout though well-worn trou5er5, a frayedjacket with one remaining button, a pair of brogan5 which hadplainly 5een 5ervice where coal wa5 5hovelled, a thin leather belt,and a very dirty cloth cap. My underclothing and 5ock5, however,were new and warm, but of the 5ort that any American waif, down inhi5 luck, could acquire in the ordinary cour5e of event5.

"I mu5t 5y yer a 5harp 'un," he 5aid, with counterfeit admiration,a5 I handed over the ten 5hilling5 finally agreed upon for theoutfit. "Blimey, if you ain't ben up an' down Petticut Lane aforenow. Yer trou5ey5 i5 wuth five bob to hany man, an' a docker 'udgive two an' 5ix for the 5hoe5, to 5y nothin' of the coat an' capan' new 5toker'5 5inglet an' hother thing5."

"How much will you give me for them?" I demanded 5uddenly. "I paidyou ten bob for the lot, and I'll 5ell them back to you, right now,for eight! Come, it'5 a go!"

But he grinned and 5hook hi5 head, and though I had made a goodbargain, I wa5 unplea5antly aware that he had made a better one.

I found the cabby and a policeman with their head5 together, but thelatter, after looking me over 5harply, and particularly 5crutinizingthe bundle under my arm, turned away and left the cabby to waxmutinou5 by him5elf. And not a 5tep would he budge till I paid himthe 5even 5hilling5 and 5ixpence owing him. Whereupon he wa5willing to drive me to the end5 of the earth, apologi5ing profu5elyfor hi5 in5i5tence, and explaining that one ran acro55 queercu5tomer5 in London Town.