186 
THE EAT. 
nobody.' * Truly/ said the magistrate ; ' and as neither the 
commissioners nor their men ever interfere with you, neither 
shall I j' and so he burked the Peeler." 
"Bravo!" said Jumper. " Now you see, Jem, this only 
proves what I have said a thousand times. If a man has 
any business to do, there's nothing like having a real out- 
an'-out lady or gentleman to deal with. 'Tis only necessary 
to make the thing clear to 'em, an' its all right. But as to 
your half-an'-half-bred varmints, they're a curse to society, 
an' would starve an' destroy everything around 'em, Now 
what could that skinny-looking, cupboard-hunting cur want 
interfering with you, when you were going quietly about 
your business ? It's ignerence, Jem, its all ignerence." 
" But," says Jem, " what's to prevent our swell-mobsmen 
and house-breakers from getting keys of the sewers the same 
as ourselves, an' turn them into a regular fence, or at mid- 
night kicking up a jolly fight to draw off the Peelers, an' 
when they're gone off to the station-house, those above 
ground to give the signal, while those beneath open up the 
trap, then crack any house they please; an' if any one comes, 
crack them over the head with a jemmy, or let loose a bark- 
ing-iron at 'em, pop them an' the plate down the trap 
together, then shut up shop ; an' who's to know Avhat has 
become of 'em ? Why it would bother the Foresters them- 
selves to find 'em out — an' as for the corpse, they could shove 
that on one side for eight-an'-forty hours, when the rats 
would pick it to the bone ; an' then they could double it up 
like a bundle o' sticks, and stow it away in the drain of some 
old house that's to let." 
" Well now, Jem, I never thought of that before. Don't 
you see. Jumper, Ben of Horsington an' Appleton Bill call'd 
on me early this morning ; they're in a peck o' trouble. 
When they were honest rat-catchers, they were two as nice 
fellows as ever lived ; but as soon as they took to poaching 
they were spoiled, an' thought of nothing but desperation. 
However, they've just had three months at the mill, an' 
what did they do the night before last but crack the magis- 
trate's house, an' bolt with the plate ; an' now, you see, they 
want me to lend 'em a hand, an' stow it away down here. 
But I told 'em, point blank, I'd have nothing to do with it ; 
* au' as for Jumper,' I said, * I know he wont, for he always 
