A CHEAT 147 



reserved, we proceeded on our journey, and he said not 

 a word in disparagement of my decision. 



I mention this simple act of courtesy as indicative of a 

 mind fraught with a proper and just understanding of 

 thinofs of far grreater moment. When such conduct is 

 considered in contradistinction to the pertinacious and 

 selfish adherence to what the law awards as ri2;ht, the 

 individual is placed in a very estimable point of view ; 

 for where one such incident as I have spoken of occurs, 

 under similar circumstances, the usual penalty has been 

 exacted by ninety-nine others. 



But the reader is not to suppose that I was always 

 accompanied by men of such standing, or of such correct 

 views ; on the contrary, I have had them of a widely 

 different nature, though it was not their custom to make 

 an exhibition of their evil wavs. I had, however, one 

 who gloried in showing himself an accomplished villain. 



The first time I saw him, he had seated himself on the 

 roof in Bishopsgate Street, while I had gone up to the 

 office in the yard for my way-bill. On my return a 

 neiofhbour told me who he was, and (jave me a short 

 outline of his antecedents, which were not very flatter- 

 ing ; but they were not unknown in this vicinity. It 

 was his common practice, I found, to cheat every one 

 he could, and he attempted a fraud on me that morning. 

 When I asked him for the fare, he said he would pay at 

 Downham ; arrived here, he promised the fare when we 

 arrived at Cambridge ; but, on my insisting that he 

 should either pay or get down, he chose the former. 



This man was a great annoyance to me, although I 

 did not let him see this. He would always sit beside 



