Sentence:  "I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could <WSD>pick up</WSD> a few coppers by—except steal.nb..." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To collect an object, especially in passing.