, 1864-01-02

through the dark dominions of King Coal,
before either Of us again broke silence.
" Come, cried my bare-headed acquain-
tance suddenly, "there is no occasion for
us two to quarrel; only nothing puts me
50 out Of temper as to see man proud Of
his Ignorance. Now, you are Keen and
fellow enough, I can see, but
you don't know anything"
7" Perhaps not" replied, still annoyed
by the mans manner, and at the unaccus-
toned position of asecond fiddle, in which
] found myself, but'I have no ambition
TO learn thieves logic"
"What type Of tho respectable classes
Of this country you do Afford" unused the
other coolly, " in this your excessive obsti-
macy and concoit. You have no ambition
to learn, and yet, / dare say, that you, your
self, are concerned, either directly or indi-
rectly, in cndeavoring to diminish crime,
and to put down the profession Of roguery.
You help to elect member Of Parliament
who votes upon social subjects; you sub
scribe to benevolent associations, for the
moral rescue of criminals: you consider
the convict question to be an exceedingly
important one, and yet you" Here
the irreverent individual absolutely burst
out laughing. "What would you think Of
doctor now, who had prescribed for pa
tient whose case he had really no ambition
to inquire p
+" l am not DOCTOR" I roared, out Of all
patience; sand l wish all the thieves in
England were to be hung tomorrow"
"The country would be very sadly de-
populated" replied the other impassively /:
"you and ! would certainly never meet
again."
This is downright insult" / exclaimed
with indignation; " l shall take good care
to change carriages and company at the very
next station"
NAY, sir, Imeant no offence, responded
my companion grayely; "I referred only
to myself as being doomed to be cut off in
the flower Of my days, If your wishes would
be carried into effect. have been pick
pocket from my very cradle; and" added
he, after short pause, 81 am thankful to
say that l have not been altogether unsuc-
cessful in my vocation"
l was startled for an instant by the mans
seriousness, and Observation-Disclosures he
was at the end Of the compartment-lOoked
for his wicked hands. They were lying in
his lap before him, neatly gloved, one of
them 'still holdine ~. pacs.s .'s-,,.S.s.s..s-
"Ah," he said smiling, and at once COM
pretending my glance, " these are nothing,
they are merely my whited wall, my outside
responsibilities, my ostcntatious charities,
my prayers before my business proceedings,
We have our little hypocrisies, ike the COM
mcrcial world. See here" he rose up to
his full height, and the two lemou-coiored
aristocratic hands fell on the floor with
third. "Here are my natural digits," he
continued, producing another set Of digits
unglOvcd, and not particularly clean; ono
body can suspect man Of picking pockets
who always keeps his hands before him, and
reads the City Article in the Times"
"You were reading the advertisement
sheet" l said, intensely interested, but still
inclined for contradiction.
"Yes, sir" he retorted, "because I saw
that pretence Of that kind to person Of
your Intelligence would be futile. Ialways
change my tactics with my company"
Ibcgan to feel very tenderly for this poor
fellow, whom doubtless circumstances had
driven to his present dreadful calling, but
whose mental endowments had evidently
fitted him for far better things.
"But why" Iurged, "haye you not picked
my pocket, young mani"
"Beeause, sir, he answered, /" am now
bent on pleasure, and not on business, unless
something very enticing should come in my
way. Open and unreserved conversation,
too, such as I felt l could indulge in with
you, is to ono in my situation (the poor
fellow sighed) too rare q happiness to be
forgone; besides" he added, reassuming his
natural tone, "you don't carry your bank
notes in your pocket at al"
I felt myself glowing all over as red as
beetroot or boiled lobster, but / managed to
articulate as calmly as Icould, Bank notes!
ah, that's good Joke livery seldom have
anything Of that kind to carry, I'm sorry to
say"
ayes, but when you haye!" intcrrogated
the other, silly.
"Well, sir, when l have, what then?" I
retorted, with assumed carelessness.
"Why, what very strange place." rc-
marked he, very slowly and impressively,
your neckcloth seems to be for keeping
them safep'
/" How the devil did you come to know
thats" I cried, in astOnishment.
"What docs 1t signify2 What can be the