“‘It’s our lodger,’ ses Ginger.

“‘Your wot?’ ses Sam, ’ardly able to believe his ears.

“‘Our lodger,’ ses Peter Russet.  ’We’ve let ’im the bed you said you didn’t want for sixpence a night.  Now you take yourself off.’

“Old Sam couldn’t speak for a minute; there was no words that he knew bad enough, but at last he licks ’is lips and he ses, ’I’ve paid for that bed up to Saturday, and I’m going to have it.’

“He rushed at the lodger, but Peter and Ginger got hold of ’im agin and put ’im down on the floor and sat on ’im till he promised to be’ave himself.  They let ’im get up at last, and then, arter calling themselves names for their kind-’artedness, they said if he was very good he might sleep on the floor.

“Sam looked at ’em for a moment, and then, without a word, he took off ’is boots and put on ’is coat and went up in a corner to be out of the draught, but, wot with the cold and ’is temper, and the hardness of the floor, it was a long time afore ’e could get to sleep.  He dropped off at last, and it seemed to ’im that he ’ad only just closed ’is eyes when it was daylight.  He opened one eye and was just going to open the other when he saw something as made ’im screw ’em both up sharp and peep through ‘is eyelashes.  The lodger was standing at the foot o’ Ginger’s bed, going through ’is pockets, and then, arter waiting a moment and ’aving a look round, he went through Peter Russet’s.  Sam lay still mouse while the lodger tip-toed out o’ the room with ’is boots in his ’and, and then, springing up, follered him downstairs.

“He caught ’im up just as he ’ad undone the front door, and, catching hold of ‘im by the back o’ the neck, shook ’im till ’e was tired.  Then he let go of ’im and, holding his fist under ’is nose, told ’im to hand over the money, and look sharp about it.

“‘Ye—­ye—­yes, sir,’ ses the lodger, who was ’arf choked.

“Sam held out his ’and, and the lodger, arter saying it was only a little bit o’ fun on ’is part, and telling ’im wot a fancy he ’ad taken to ’im from the fust, put Ginger’s watch and chain into his ’ands and eighteen pounds four shillings and sevenpence.  Sam put it into his pocket, and, arter going through the lodger’s pockets to make sure he ’adn’t forgot anything, opened the door and flung ’im into the street.  He stopped on the landing to put the money in a belt he was wearing under ’is clothes, and then ’e went back on tip-toe to ’is corner and went to sleep with one eye open and the ’appiest smile that had been on his face for years.

“He shut both eyes when he ’eard Ginger wake up, and he slept like a child through the ’orrible noise that Peter and Ginger see fit to make when they started to put their clothes on.  He got tired of it afore they did, and, arter opening ’is eyes slowly and yawning, he asked Ginger wot he meant by it.

“‘You’ll wake your lodger up if you ain’t careful, making that noise,’ he ses.  ‘Wot’s the matter?’