but managed to find a quiet corner in a dark alley and soon went to sleep.

I awoke much refreshed, but very hungry as my friend of the theatre had
neglected to treat me to anything more substantial than a chance to look
on. Oh, how I longed for a drink of milk or water! I was sorely tempted
and fell. On a door-step a short distance away was a jar of milk. It was a
moment's work to tip it over and remove the paper top with a sharp claw. I
lapped my fill and left some in the bottle for the family. That theft was
bad enough, but I fell still lower. One day I was very hungry, and
happened long just as some masons had ceased working, in order to eat
their lunches. One of the men took the cover from his dinner pail and,
leaving it open on the ground, walked away for a few minutes. I darted
quickly to the pail and, to my delight, saw a large slice of corned beef.
It was quick work to snatch it and run away, and how good it tasted! I ate
it so fast that I remember I suffered afterwards from indigestion,--or
perhaps it was a bad conscience.



CHAPTER IV


Things were going from bad to worse and I was becoming tired of my present
life, but there did not seem to be any way out of it. When I went back to
my dark alley I fell asleep, but tossed and turned and was very uneasy. At
midnight I was aware of hearing hoarse voices whispering together; alert
and listening I heard two men talking about "lifting some swag." I did not
know what that was but kept still. One said that he would watch outside
while the other forced a dining-room window.