Kitabı oku: «The Betrayal of John Fordham», sayfa 15
The board was before me, with a lot of pieces on it. My next move was to hunt Jack down. I will not waste time by relating how I did it. A fortnight it took me before I had him under my thumb. I don't mind confessing (I didn't tell him as much) that I was not prepared for the disclosures he made. They took me fairly by surprise, and let a lot of light upon the Rye Street Mystery.
I shall let Jack speak for himself. The story he related shall be told in his own words.
PART III
CHAPTER XXVIII.
JACK SKINNER MAKES A STATEMENT
Look 'ere. It ain't a plant, is it? I'm a bad lot, I know, about as bad as they make 'em, but when it comes to committin' a murder, it ain't in me to do it. If I 'ad the 'eart to kill a man, I ain't got the pluck – Wot's that yer say? I 'ad a 'and in it? I'll take my oath on my mother's Bible I 'adn't. I don't remember my mother – I wos chucked on the world wery young, guv'nor – and I don't know as she ever 'ad a Bible, but that don't make no difference, do it? If she did 'ave a Bible, and it was afore me now, I'd take my oath on it. I can't speak fairer nor that, can I? I wos there – I don't deny I wos there when it wos done but I 'adn't no more to do with it than the babby unborn. If it wos the last word I 'ad to speak with my dyin' breath, I'd swear I didn't 'ave no 'and in it, and I couldn't prevent it no more nor you could, guv'nor, bein', as I dessay you wos, a 'undered mile away at the time. Why, it come upon me like a clap of thunder, and upon Mr. Louis, too, pore chap, and there 'e wos – good Lord! I can 'ardly bring my tongue to say it – there 'e wos, layin' on the flore, stone dead, and the blood porein' out of 'im.
'Ere, I can't stand it no longer, I can't. From that night to this I've never 'ad a easy minute. 'Underds and 'underds of times since then I've seed 'im layin' afore me as 'e laid that night. It wos only yesterday, while I wos playin' a game o' pyramids, and the red balls wos scattered all over the table, that all of a suddent there wos the pore chap layin' on the green cloth in the middle of a dozen large, round clots o' blood. It was only a wision, I know, like any number of others I've 'ad, but it turned me sick, and put me off my play so that I couldn't pot a ball all through the game. Never a green field I see but there 'e is, layin' in the middle of it, with the grass all red about 'im. It ain't a pleasant sight, guv'nor, is it? It sets me all of a tremble, and over and over again I've sed to myself, "Make a clean breast of it, Jack, and bring it 'ome to the man wot done the deed. You can't be 'ung for it, you can't, Jack," ses I to myself, "cos your 'and wos never raised agin 'im. Make a clean breast of it, wunst and for all, and get rid of the wisions that's a 'aunting of yer day and night." And now, on the top o' that, you come to me, guv'nor, and ses, "Yer've got to tell me everythink, Jack, about that there murder. Prove to me yer didn't do it, and not a 'air of your 'ead shall be touched. Scot free yer shall go, and for wunst in your life yer'll 'ave the satisfaction of bein' on the right side o' justice." Ses you to me, "Keep yer mouth shut, and yer'll find yerself in a 'ole. Queen's evidence is your game, Jack, if yer know wot's good for yerself."
Well, guv'nor, when I put alongside o' that wot I've read in the papers about somebody givin' of 'isself up for the murder, it makes me think I'd best accept yer orfer. Guv'nor, I do accept it. 'Ere's my 'and. But there's somethink you've got to do fust. You've got to take yer Gospel oath that yer'll be as good as yer word, and that I sha'n't be 'urt for wot I didn't do. You're willing? Well, take it.
That's bindin', mind yer, and don't forgit yer'll be burnt in 'ell fire if yer've swored false. 'Ave yer got anythink else to say afore I start? I don't want to be meddled with once I begin, 'cause it'd be bound to muddle me, and I should git off the track. I must tell everythink I know about myself and my pals and Mr. Louis? It's a large order, but all right. A clean breast I've promised to make, and a clean breast it shall be. 'Ere goes.
There wos three of us, outside of 'im that's gone. Maxwell (that's the only name I knowed 'im by), and Morgan (that's the only name I knowed 'im by), and me. They called me Jack, and if yer don't mind I'll call the other Louis. It saves a lot of time to drop the misters.
There ain't much to tell about myself up to the time I fust set eyes on Maxwell and Morgan. I never learnt a honest trade, and in course I 'ad to do somethink for a livin'. I've been a billiard marker, a race-course runner, a ticker snatcher, a crossin' sweeper (not longer at that nor I could 'elp, it wos playin' it so low), a tout for sharps, a decoy for mugs, a thimble-rigger, a tipster, a nigger minstrel, and I don't know what else. Wunst I wos that 'ard up that I carried a Punch and Judy for a showman mean enough to skin a flint; 'e wouldn't pay me wot wos doo, so me and Toby took our 'ook together. There wos a week I run arter cabs from the railway stations on the chance of a job to carry the luggage in. Yer can't play it much lower nor that, can yer, guv'nor? The things I could tell 'd fill a book if I 'ad the gift to set 'em down. If I'd been eddycated up to it I might 'ave done well among the swells, I'm that neat with the pasteboards. I can shuffle 'em in any way I want, kings at top, aces at bottom, in the middle, anywhere you like. My fingers wos made for it. Set down at all-fours with me, and I'll tell yer every card in yer 'and. With three peas and a thimble I've earnt many a thick 'un. And now yer've got my pickcher. If open confession's good for the soul, I ought to feel comfortable about mine.
It wos billiards as fust brought me and Maxwell and Morgan together. I wos marker at the Jolly Ploughboy under a false name, and when they come in I wos practising the spot stroke, no one else bein' in the room. I'd made thirteen spots, and wos well set for a run, but the minute I set eyes on 'em I began to kid, and missed a lot of winnin' 'azards. I wosn't born yesterday, yer know. They stood watchin' me a little till I laid down my cue and arst 'em if they wanted a game. They looked at each other, and larfed. "O-ho," sed I to myself, "'untin' for mugs."
"If he ain't 'ere at four o'clock," sed Maxwell to Morgan, "we needn't egspect 'im till five."
"That's so," sed Morgan.
They waited till five minutes past four, but the party they wos egspectin' didn't turn up.
"We'll secure the table," sed Maxwell, and arst me 'ow many I'd give 'im in a 'undered.
"'Ow many 'll yer give me?" wos the question I put to 'im.
"That's cool," sed 'e, "a billiard marker wantin' points."
"I ain't been long at the game," sed I, by way of apology.
"We want the table till seven," sed Maxwell, "to play with a friend wot's comin' to see us, so you and me 'll 'ave a game even."
"I'll try my luck," sed I, and we set to work, Morgan bein' so obligin' as to mark for us.
"Let's 'ave a bet on it," sed Maxwell.
"I'm agreeable, as fur as a shillin' goes," sed I; "it's as much as I can afford to lose."
It wos a funny game. 'E 'adn't taken 'arf-a-dozen shots afore I sor 'e wos kiddin', missin' easy shots, and makin' difficult ones, and pretendin' they wos flukes. But I could kid as well as 'im, and I don't think 'e suspected my play 'arf as much as I suspected 'is. We passed each other over and over agin; now 'e wos a'ead, now me. Morgan seemed to be amused at the game, and wos wery free with 'is remarks. At 'arf-past four Maxwell wos eighty-two, and I was twelve behind.
"Let's make it two 'undered," 'e sed, "and double the stakes."
"All right," sed I, "we ain't dabs either of us."
We went on with the game, scorin' wery slow. At ten minutes to five we wos "140 all," neck and neck. Maxwell looked up at the clock.
"Our friend 'll be 'ere in ten minutes," sed 'e; and I'm blest if 'e didn't set to work and score fifty-eight off the balls, within two of the game.
"Ten to one in shillin's you lose, marker," sed Morgan, when 'is pal commenced 'is big break.
"Done with you, sir," sed I, but I didn't like the bet a bit when I sor wot Maxwell could do with the balls. Luckily for me 'e missed 'is last shot, a loser off the white, and I knew it wos all up with me if I give 'im another chance. So I pulled myself together, and played up in real earnest. I wanted sixty to win, and I run 'em out jest as the clock struck five. They looked staggered a minute, and then they bust out larfin', and threw me my winnin's. As I wos pocketin' the twelve bob with a innercent look (the money come wery 'andy jest then, guv'nor) the friend they wos waitin' for pops 'is 'ead in. It was pore Louis. I can't say I ever took to 'im, 'e wos that stuck up, but when a cove comes to sech a end as 'e come to it sorftens the 'eart.
The minute I sor 'im I spotted wot they wos up to. Maxwell and 'im wos old friends accordin' to their talk, but Morgan wos a new pal, and it wos 'im as tackled Louis at billiards. Louis had plenty of money to sport; 'e'd been backin' winners, and 'ad pulled off a double event, two thousan' to twenty. It made my mouth water to 'ear 'em talk about it. Maxwell 'ad been nicked the other way through backin' losers.
"Wot does it matter?" 'e cried. "Every dawg 'as 'is day. It'll be our turn next."
"You think yerself clever, you do," sneered Louis. "You've only got to touch a thing to make a mess of it."
"You're the clever one," sed Maxwell, but I sor 'e didn't like the slap.
"Wot do you think?" said Louis, rattlin' the money in 'is pocket.
Morgan and 'im played pyramids at fust, a dollar a ball. Louis fancied 'isself a bit, and they kep' praising 'is good shots, but 'e wos as much a match for the man 'e wos playin' with as a mouse is for a cat. It didn't take me long to see that Morgan could give Louis four balls out of fifteen, and beat 'is 'ead off. But the way 'e kidded! I never sor anythink like it. 'E let Louis win three games right off, and then they played a match at billiards, five 'undered up. Maxwell backed Louis, and they 'ad any amount of larfin' and charfin' over the game. It wosn't my place to say anythink; it's a marker's business to 'old 'is tongue if e' wants to keep 'is place. Besides, wosn't I as bad as they wos, and wouldn't I 'ave won money of Louis if 'e'd give me 'arf a chance? Not that Morgan took any of 'is tin that afternoon. 'E won five pound, and so did Maxwell, and 'e chuckled over it as if 'e'd won a 'atful. They went away when the game wos over, and didn't come into that billiard room agin while I wos marker there.
"I didn't stop long, it's true. There was a devil of a row one night, and a man who knew me rounded on me and called me a thief. While the row wos goin' on in come the landlord with 'is fightin' potman, and I was bundled out neck and crop. It ain't easy to get a honest living, guv'nor. I wasn't flush of tin, when I lost my situation; 'arf a quid was all I 'ad, and that was soon blooed. Then I 'ad sech a spell o' bad luck that it drove me fairly wild. Windsor races wos on, and I thought I'd try my luck there, so I borrowed a old pack o' cards, a deal board, and a couple of tressels, and tramped it to the course, startin' in the night to get there in time. I give yer my word I wos 'most starved, and as for my togs – well, I 'ad to tie the soles of my boots to the uppers with bits of string. Between the races I set up my table, and begun to show my card tricks. Unfortunately I ain't wery good at patter, and you know, guv'nor, no one better, wot a long way that goes with a crowd. I tried to make clever speeches, but couldn't, and the consekence wos that the day wos nearly over, and eightpence was all I managed to screw out o' the mangy lot. A tanner o' that went in 'ard-biled eggs, and bread, and a go o' stooed eels, and there wos I with tuppence left to take me back to London. It wos Saturday, and there wos no chance of gittin' anythink to-morrer. A tight 'ole, wasn't it? A life like mine ain't all beer and skittles, I can tell yer.
"Down-'earted as I wos, I went on with my tricks, and never did 'em better in all my life. But it wos no go; them as gathered round wouldn't part. I wos beggin' of 'em to chuck in their coppers when who should I see among 'em but Maxwell. 'E didn't speak to me jest then and 'e didn't give me nothink; presently 'e went away, and come back with Morgan, and they stood watchin' me shuffle the pasteboards. Then they looked at each other, and sed somethink I didn't 'ear. Morgan walked off, leavin' Maxwell be'ind. 'E took me aside.
"Yer down on yer luck," said 'e.
"Never 'ad sech a cussed run in all my born days," sed I, showin' my rags.
"You're clever with the pasteboards," sed 'e.
"Wish I could git my livin' out of 'em," sed I.
"Per'aps yer can," sed 'e. "If I orfer yer a job will yer take it?"
"Will a duck swim?" I answered.
'E scanned me all over, jest as if 'e was measurin' me for somethink, and sed, "You ain't over-partickler, I suppose?"
"Me over-partickler!" I cried. "That's a good 'un. Wot sort of a job?"
"Pickin' feathers," he said, as serious as a judge.
"Wot sort of bird?" I arst.
"Pigeon," he answered. "A fine fat 'un."
"I'm yer man," sed I, and then 'e took a card from 'is pocket, and told me to call at the address to-morrer at one o'clock. 'Is rooms wos on the fust flore, 'e said, and I was to march straight into the 'ouse and up the stairs, and say nothink to nobody. As 'e wos tellin' me this Morgan came runnin' up to 'im and whispered somethink about a 'orse that wos goin' to run in the next race, and they made off together.
"Mean cuss!" thought I, for the least 'e could 'ave done wos to give me a bob or two on account, seein' the state I wos in. 'Owsomever, the chance of a job cheered me up a bit.
When the races wos over I looked about for Maxwell or Morgan, but they wosn't in sight, and there wos nothink for it but to shoulder my traps and tramp it to London. Not a pleasant journey, guv'nor, with the rain comin' down in torrents. Past five in the mornin' when I got back, and I wos that 'ungry I could have eat a brick if I could 'ave got my teeth in it. I ain't tellin' yer this to egscuse myself for wot I did afterwards, only I want yer to know that I wos never in my life so desperately 'ard up as I was that night when I footed it from Windsor to London through the peltin' rain. I wouldn't like a dawg belongin' to me to go through wot I did, and if it 'adn't been for a woman givin' me the best part of 'er mug of corfey at a night stall at two in the mornin' it's my opinion I should 'ave 'ad to throw up the sponge.
The address on the card was Newman Street, Soho, and I wos there to the minute. Up I limped – I'd run a nail into my foot – to the fust flore, as Maxwell told me to do, the street dore bein' on the swing. If anybody 'ad opened it to me they'd 'ave slammed it in my face, and small blame to 'em, I wos sech a scarecrow. The landin' was so dark that I could 'ardly see, but my 'and touched a knocker, and I used it free. Maxwell 'imself answered it, and I follered 'im to 'is room.
"By gum," said 'e, "you've got yerself up for egshibition! 'Ave yer spent that twelve bob yer won of us at billiards?"
"Give me somethink to eat," sed I. "I'm 'arf starved."
He took a pie of some sort out of a cupboard, and I made short work of it.
"Beer or whisky?" 'e sed, when I wos arf way through.
"Both," I answered, and 'e laughed as 'e put a bottle o' beer and 'arf a tumbler of whisky afore me. I finished the beer and put the whisky atop of it. It warmed me, I can tell yer.
"Now for business," he sed; "but fust go into that bath room, and wash the dirt off your 'ands." I got 'em as clean as I could, and then 'e sed, "There's a pack o' cards on the mantelshelf. Let's 'ave a game o' piquet."
I stared at 'im, and sed I didn't know the game.
"I'll learn it yer," he sed. "You beat me at billiards; I want to see if yer can beat me at piquet."
"I ain't got no money to lose," sed I.
"We'll play for nuts," sed 'e with a wink.
'E told me all the pints of the game, and in 'arf-a-hour I 'ad it at my fingers' ends, and knew as much about it as 'e did 'isself.
"D'yer want me to play on the square?" I arst.
"I want to see 'ow yer can palm the cards," he answered. "I told yer at Windsor yesterday that the job I 'ad to orfer yer wos to pick feathers. A fat pigeon, with feathers of gold. Do yer twig?"
"Yes," I sed.
"I can palm the pasteboards pritty well myself," he went on, "but I ain't allus to be depended on. Morgan's a muff, 'is fingers are all thumbs. 'Old up yer 'ands. Good – as steady as a rock. Come on; it's your deal."
We played, and I 'ardly ever dealt myself a 'and without four aces, or four kings, or a point of sixteen or seventeen from the ace. In less than a hour I won nigh upon a thousand points of 'im. 'E watched me close, but 'e couldn't find out 'ow it wos done, and 'e said with a sour grin that I wos the prince o' sharps, and that 'e wouldn't like to play me for money.
Then 'e let me into the secret. There wos a young feller 'im and Morgan wos wery intimate with; 'e 'ad money of 'is own, and 'ad won more at the races, where the three of 'em went together. They'd won a little off 'im at cards, but they 'ad a notion e' wos gettin' suspicious of 'em, though they wosn't sure. Per'aps 'e wos, per'aps 'e wosn't. Their scheme was to introduce a fourth gentleman who'd jine the game.
"You're the fourth gentleman," sed Maxwell.
"Me!" I cried. "Why, I've only got to open my mouth to show wot I am."
They 'ad considered that. I wos a common, ignorant man, with a good 'eart – I wos to be sure to 'ave a good 'eart – as 'd made a fortune on the goldfields. I wos to lose money as well as the pigeon, and that'd make 'im less suspicious. The difference atween me and 'im wos that he paid in good money and I paid in flash notes.
"One night," sed Maxwell, "arter yer've lost double as much as 'im yer'll set down with me while 'e's in the room, and in an hour or two yer'll win back double as much as yer've lost. That'll egg 'im on, and 'e'll try to do the same with me or you – it don't matter which – and then we'll clean 'im out. We'll 'ave every shillin' 'e's got. We play for ready money – no infernal cheques – and when we've done with 'im 'e can go to the devil. See?"
I did see. It wos a artful plot, and like enough to turn out jest as 'e calkylated.
"Wot am I to gain by it?" I arst.
"A reg'lar swell rig-out," 'e answered, "fine togs, a gold watch and chain, and a ring, and two pound a week to keep yerself. When the job's finished yer'll get a fourth of the winnin's."
I didn't throw away the chance – not me! Fine togs, a gold watch and chain, a ring, and two pound a week – why, it wos a reg'lar slice o' luck, with me starving, and not knowing where to git my next meal from!
"I'll jine yer," said I. "'Ere's my 'and on it. Who's the pigeon?"
"D'yer remember that friend of our'n as Morgan played billiards with at the Jolly Ploughboy?" arst Maxwell.
"Send I may live!" I cried. "If that's 'im we're done! 'E'll know me agin as sure as guns."
"I'll eat my 'ead if 'e does," sed Maxwell. "You 'ad a mustarsh and a pair o' whiskers, and you've got 'em now. Shave 'em off, and slip into yer new togs, and yer own mother wouldn't know yer."
He wos right. Yer wouldn't believe the difference it made in me. When I looked in the glass I thought I wos some one else.
Louis never suspected, and Maxwell sed I played my part tip-top. 'E acted square as fur as 'is fust promises went. The watch and chain wos only silver gilt, and the ring was Abyssinian gold and sham stones, but the togs wos all right, and so wos the two quid a week. I told 'im if 'e did me in the end when the job was finished, I'd make it warm for 'im.
I've come across some bad 'uns in my time, but I never come across sech a scoundrel as that Maxwell. 'E'd 'ave skinned 'is own mother if 'e could 'ave made anythink out of it and if 'e could 'ave put the skinnin' on a pal. For that's where 'e beat us – 'e knew 'ow to make 'isself safe if we wos blown on. Louis wos mad on 'orse-racin', and so wos all of us, for the matter of that, but 'e took the cake. We went all over the country, whenever there wos any sport on, and yer may bet yer life we never give our own names nowhere. I think that Louis stuck to us because 'e wos mad to git back the money 'e'd lost to Maxwell and Morgan; 'e wos regularly pricked, and sometimes went for Maxwell like a mad bull. But Maxwell kep' cool; 'e only lost 'isself once, and you'll 'ear of it presently. 'E couldn't keep wot 'e won; 'e dashed it down on the race-course, and wos more orfen stone broke than not. 'E wos allus goin' to win a pot on the next race, and it never come off – never once. 'E knowed sech a lot, yer see. That's wot's the matter with most of us. We're so clever.
There wos 'ardly a night as we didn't end up with a gamble. Louis kep' on droppin' 'is money, and the more 'e dropped the closer 'e stuck to us. I dropped twice as much as 'e did, but then it made no difference to me, one way or the other. When 'im and me wos pardners agin Maxwell and Morgan, we lost four times out of five. It wos allus settled before'and if 'e wos to win or lose, and the cards wos dealt accordin'. If they'd been dealt fair 'e'd 'ave lost, but not as much. 'E reckoned 'isself the best player in the crowd, and it 'appened 'e wos the wust. A barn-door fowl wosn't in it with 'im for crowin'.
"Never say die," I sed, when we wos reckonin' up our losses. "Luck must turn. Maxwell don't play a bit better nor you or me. I'll git all my money back, and a bit over, afore I've done with 'im."
It turned out that way 'cause it wos part of the plot.
We'd jest come to Liverpool, and it wos bitter weather. It was snowin' all day and freezin' all night, and the racin' 'ad to be postponed.
"We'll finish the job 'ere," sed Maxwell.
So as to keep ourselves to ourselves a 'ouse 'ad been taken near the docks; it wos only 'arf furnished, but that didn't matter. Morgan took it for a month on trial, and give the name o' Mollison. The agent arst for a reference, and one wos sent 'im from London, I don't know by who. We took possession without anybody noticin' us. There wos a room on the fust flore pritty well stocked with chairs, tables, sideboard, lamps, lookin' glass over the mantelpiece, and all that. We smuggled in grog, and wine, and cigars, and when we built up a big fire the room looked cosy and comfortable. We used to go there after dinner, and smoke, and drink, and play. One night I told Louis that I meant to have a dash at Maxwell single-'anded.
"We ain't lucky as pardners," I sed, "I'm goin' to tackle 'im alone."
By that time Louis 'ad dropped a matter of three thousand quid, accordin' to 'is reckonin', and 'e wos mad to git it back. I never found out where the money went to; Maxwell wos always swearin' 'e 'adn't a shillin'. I'll do 'im the justice to say that 'e threw it away right and left at the races, but 'e never showed us any account of 'ow 'e got rid of it.
"Yer'll give me my revenge, yer'll give me my revenge!" That wos allus Louis's cry when 'e settled up.
"Give yer yer revenge!" said Maxwell. "In course we will. We don't want yer tin."
And perhaps the next time Louis 'ud win two or three pound. That wos the way 'e wos led on. Maxwell knew 'ow to play 'is fish.
Well, Maxwell took up my challenge to play single-'anded, and we set down to our match. Louis and Morgan wos playin' the same game – piquet it wos – in another part of the room, but 'earin' the big talk atween me and Maxwell they left off and come to our table.
"D'yer mind my lookin' over yer 'and?" sed Louis to me.
"Not a bit," I answered. "I'm winnin', and I ain't sooperstitious."
In course I palmed the cards, but it'd 'ave took a cleverer chap nor Louis to ketch me. I ought to be rollin' in money.
"Rubicon'd agin!" cried Maxwell with a oath, dashin' 'is fist on the table.
"Keep yer 'air on," I said with a larf as I picked up the cards. "I'll give yer a chance. What d'yer say to two-pound points?"
"Done with you," sed Maxwell, wery eager.
"'Ow much 'ave yer won?" arst Louis.
"Count it up for me," sed I, givin' 'im the paper where the score was marked down.
"It's over a thousand," 'e cried with blazin' eyes.
"It's my night," I sed. "Didn't I tell yer? I've got 'im on toast."
"'Oller when yer out o' the wood," growled Maxwell.
We went on playin', and I kep' on winnin'. Over two thousand wos now the figger. Louis could 'ardly keep still. There was no mistake about 'is bein' in dead earnest, but as for us – well, we wos all larfin' in our sleeves at 'im. It didn't turn out a larfin' matter in the end.
It was gittin' late, and I orfered to leave off.
"Wot d'yer mean?" cried Maxwell. "Do I ever orfer to leave off when I'm winnin'? Let's 'ave six games at five-pound points. It'll take a denced sight more nor that to break me."
"Would yer?" sed I, lookin' up at Louis.
"Let me take yer place," sed 'e; "I'll play 'im for any points 'e likes."
"No," I answered, "I'll see it out with 'im."
So we resoomed the game, and at the end I'd won a matter of five thousand pound. Didn't I wish it was real instead o' gammon?
"Now I'm on welwet," sed I, grinnin' and rubbin' my 'ands.
"Fortune o' war," sed Maxwell, takin' out a pocketbook stuffed with flash notes. "Who cares? My turn yesterday, yourn to-day."
"Plenty more where that comes from, I 'ope," sed I.
"Don't you be afeerd," sed Maxwell, "if yer won ten times as much off me yer'd git every farthin' of it."
"That's a comfort," sed I, countin' out the money as 'e passed it over to me.
The wonder wos that Louis took it all in, but I never did see sech a migsture as 'e wos. One minute 'e could be as cunnin' as a fox, and the next as soft as butter. There was somethink atwixt 'im and Maxwell I never got to the bottom of, a sort o' relationship through a sister as wos dead, and they talked sometimes of some one abroad, and sed if they got 'old of 'im they'd make it warm for 'im. But all that wos nothink to me.
If Louis 'ad 'ad a chance of 'andlin' the flash notes as I counted 'em out it'd been all up the orchard with us, but we took care that 'e never at any time 'ad one in 'is fingers. 'E wos short-sighted, and at a little distance the flimseys looked all right. The notes of some o' the country banks, yer know, ain't as spick and span as Bank of England paper, but there' a lot o' that sort knockin' about in the ring, and the bookeys pay 'em out free to them as 'll take 'em. The biggest part of the wonder wos that Louis should 'ave believed we carried sech large sums o' money about us. 'E wos jest the sort o' chap that's took in with the confidence trick, and you read of 'em pritty orfen in the papers. There's more o' that goin' on nor people think of. For one case as comes afore the beak there's twenty that's never 'eard of. If ain't a bad payin' trade, I can tell yer.
As I pocketed the notes Maxwell arst if I'd play 'im another match to-morrer.
"No, no," cried Louis, all of a tremble; "it's my turn now. Yer've got to give me my revenge!"
The fish wos 'ooked.
"That's only fair," sed I. "You 'ave a shy at 'im, Louis."
"I will – I will!" 'e cried. "If 'e's game."
"Game!" sed Maxwell. "We've seed a lot of each other, and when did yer see me show the white feather? But I'm too tired now to go on playin', I want to git to bed."
"To-morrer night, then," sed Louis. "It shall be make or break."
"All right," sed Maxwell.
"We'll begin at nine."
"Agreed. At nine o'clock."
So it wos settled, and wot we'd been workin' for so long wos comin' off at last.
