“‘You’ll get it back agin,’ he ses.  ‘You know that well enough.’

“‘Cert’nly not,’ ses Sam; ’and I’m surprised at you asking.  Why, a child could rob you.  It’s ’ard enough as it is for a pore man like me to ’ave to keep a couple o’ hulking sailormen, but I’m not going to give you money to chuck away on lodgers.  No more sleeping on the floor for me!  Now I don’t want none o’ your langwidge, and I don’t want you follering me like a couple o’ cats arter a meat-barrer.  I shall be ‘aving a cup o’ tea at Brown’s coffee-shop by and by, and if you’re there at five sharp I’ll see wot I can do for you.  Wot did you call me?’

“Ginger told ’im three times, and then Peter Russet dragged ’im away.  They turned up outside Brown’s at a quarter to five, and at ten past six Sam Small strolled up smoking a cigar, and, arter telling them that he ’ad forgot all about ’em, took ’em inside and paid for their teas.  He told Mr. Brown ’e was paying for ’em, and ’e told the gal wot served ’em ’e was paying for ’em, and it was all pore Ginger could do to stop ’imself from throwing his plate in ’is face.

“Sam went off by ’imself, and arter walking about all the evening without a ha’penny in their pockets, Ginger Dick and Peter went off ’ome to bed and went to sleep till twelve o’clock, when Sam came in and woke ’em up to tell ’em about a music-’all he ’ad been to, and ’ow many pints he had ’ad.  He sat up in bed till past one o’clock talking about ’imself, and twice Peter Russet woke Ginger up to listen and got punched for ’is trouble.

“They both said they’d get a ship next morning, and then old Sam turned round and wouldn’t ’ear of it.  The airs he gave ’imself was awful.  He said he’d tell ’em when they was to get a ship, and if they went and did things without asking ’im he’d let ’em starve.

“He kept ’em with ’im all that day for fear of losing ’em and having to give ’em their money when ’e met ’em agin instead of spending it on ’em and getting praised for it.  They ’ad their dinner with ’im at Brown’s, and nothing they could do pleased him.  He spoke to Peter Russet out loud about making a noise while he was eating, and directly arterwards he told Ginger to use his pocket ’ankercher.  Pore Ginger sat there looking at ’im and swelling and swelling until he nearly bust, and Sam told ’im if he couldn’t keep ’is temper when people was trying to do ’im a kindness he’d better go and get somebody else to keep him.

“He took ’em to a music-’all that night, but he spoilt it all for ’em by taking ’em into the little public-’ouse in Whitechapel Road fust and standing ’em a drink.  He told the barmaid ’e was keeping ’em till they could find a job, and arter she ’ad told him he was too soft-’arted and would only be took advantage of, she brought another barmaid up to look at ’em and ask ’em wot they could do, and why they didn’t do it.

“Sam served ’em like that for over a week, and he ’ad so much praise from Mr. Brown and other people that it nearly turned his ’ead.  For once in his life he ’ad it pretty near all ’is own way.  Twice Ginger Dick slipped off and tried to get a ship and came back sulky and hungry, and once Peter Russet sprained his thumb trying to get a job at the docks.