Had the girl appealed to him to help her it is more than likely that
Kelson, who was even yet undecided what course to adopt, would have
offered her his aid; but the instant she acted on the defensive his
mind was made up; a mad spirit of self-preservation swept over
him--and dashing the chairs on the ground at her feet, he seized the
sausages, and flew after Curtis.

Ten minutes later, Curtis and Kelson, their arms full of spoil,
clambered up the staircase of their lodgings, and reeled into their
room.

"Look!" Curtis gasped, sinking into the chair. "Look and see if we are
followed!"

"There's no one about!" Kelson whispered, peering cautiously out of
the window. "Not a soul! I don't believe after that first rush across
Rutter Street, any one noticed us. To leave off running was far the
best thing to do. You are a perfect genius, Ed. I wonder if this sort
of thing--er--thieving--is dormant in most of us? I say, old fellow, I
wish I hadn't looked at that book of Hamar's. Do you know, directly I
took it up, an extraordinary sensation of cunning came over me; and I
declare, when I put it down, I felt it would take very little to make
me a criminal!"

"We're both criminals now--in the eyes of the law--anyway!" Curtis
said. "And now we've got so far there's no alternative but to go on!
It's easier for a hundred camels to pass through the eye of a needle
than for a clerk to get work, that's a fact. The markets are
hopelessly overstocked--no one wants us! No one helps us! No one even
thinks about us. The labouring man gets pity and cents galore--we get