THE DRUG. 95 



Tvork effectually, and by the time that Tiny Pippin came into 

 my box to give me my first early feed on tliis the important day 

 of going to the post for the Metropolitan, I was standing with my 

 head in the crib, blinldng, like Toby, after a long night's ward and 

 watch with heavy eyelids, and spirits that were sunk to zero. 



" Strike me all of a heap ! " ejaculated Tiny, casting a sharp 

 stable-boy glance over me, " why, what's up now 1 " 



1 could readily have informed him, had the power of speech 

 been one of my gifts. The story, however, might have been 

 told a tliousand times before, were such as I but in possession 

 of tongues to tell it. 



Tiny Pippin stared ; Tiny Pippin's cheeks became little less 

 bloodless than a fresh-peeled turnip as he examined me from 

 ear to hock. ELis breathing, as he continued to gaze in bewil- 

 dered astonishment, became short and quick; and backing 

 himself up by degrees, step by step, against the wall of my box. 

 Tiny stood depicting the strong outward effects of equally 

 powerful inward causes. 



" He's been got at, by ! " exclaimed he. " Nothing else 



could have done it — -nothing. They'll say / did it," continued 

 Tiny, beginning to screw his knuckles into the comers of his 

 eyes. " Ho, yes ! in course they will. We can't be out of 

 a robbery like this — never are. The boy must be in it, in 

 course. They'll take me afore the beak, and he'll roll his ogles 

 up'ards, and talk of Joovenile depravity ; but because there aint 

 no evidence of the Joovenile having done what he never didn't, 

 and not so much as never thought on, why the beak '11 tell 'm 

 he's discharged this time, but to be amazingly cautious never to 

 show his mug in that justice-room agTun. Then I shall be 

 dragged afore the swells of the Jockey Club, and each of 'em '11 

 be so fatherly-hke in coming the confession dodge over me. 

 First of all, they'll look me through, and make me feel what 

 lots of fierce eyes looking over stiff chokers can do in that fine 

 o' business, partic'larly the sv/ells what have dropped their tin. 

 Then one o' the top saAvyers '11 say, Hke a saint, ' Boy, the first step 

 for you to take, in the disgraceful position in which you have 

 placed yourself, is to tell us the party who instigated you to so 



