it to 'er.

Once I had made up my mind to do wot was right I felt quite 'appy, and
arter a look up and down, I stepped round to the Bear's Head and 'ad a
couple o' goes o' rum to keep the cold out. There was nobody in there
but the landlord, and 'e started at once talking about the thief, and 'ow
he 'ad run arter him in 'is shirt-sleeves.

"My opinion is," he ses, "that 'e bolted on one of the wharves and 'id
'imself. He disappeared like magic. Was that little gate o' yours
open?"

"I was on the wharf," I ses, very cold.

"You might ha' been on the wharf and yet not 'ave seen anybody come on,"
he ses, nodding.

"Wot d'ye mean?" I ses, very sharp. "Nothing," he ses. "Nothing."

"Are you trying to take my character away?" I ses, fixing 'im with my
eye.

"Lo' bless me, no!" he ses, staring at me. "It's no good to me."

He sat down in 'is chair behind the bar and went straight off to sleep
with his eyes screwed up as tight as they would go. Then 'e opened
his mouth and snored till the glasses shook. I suppose I've been one of
the best customers he ever 'ad, and that's the way he treated me. For
two pins I'd ha' knocked 'is ugly 'ead off, but arter waking him up very
sudden by dropping my glass on the floor I went off back to the wharf.