are you here hard and fast?'

'I fear, alas, I am.'

'What did you do; kill your man in a duel?' Roland sighed and bowed
his head.

'Then you cannot go away and peach, so I'll give you a bit of our
indoor history. You saw these as went out to-day. Wall, they are off
spotteen (spotting). Joe will go to some comfortable farm house and
ask for a job saween wood. He can be very good natured and obligeen;
and pretty soon he gets the run of the house. If there is a silver
spoon or a watch in the house he seldom leaves--though he often
returns day in and day out to the same house--without bringeen it
away. Sometimes he hears of a man who has a lot of shiners, and if he
can be sure that he keeps it in the house, he makes himself at home
for a few days about the place doeen chores cheap. His next visit is
when they are all asleep; when there is no moon, and the storm makes
much clatter. He escaped from Newgate in the ould country; came to
Muddy York and got jugged. He broke bars and was picked up one
evening as you were on the edge of this swamp. He was the very man
they needed here.

'But there is a very interesting history belongeen to the Rev. Mr.
Jonas. That is, as to how he became the Rev. Mr. Jonas. Well, it was
like this. He was caught when very young at Piccadilly pickeen a
gentleman's pocket. He learnt the trade under one Fagan, a jew, the
cheese toaster that you read about in that new book, _Oliver
Twist_. He was sentenced to three years; but when he got out he
joined the pickpockets again; was again caught and transported to