“‘We thought you might want it, Sam,’ ses Peter.

“‘So we brought it along,’ ses Ginger.  ’I ’ope you’re enjoying of your brekfuss, Sam.’

“Sam took the ’ankercher and thanked ’em very perlite, and arter standing there for a minute or two as if they wanted to say something they couldn’t remember, they sheered off.  When Sam left the place ’arf-an-hour afterwards they was still hanging about, and as Sam passed Ginger asked ’im if he was going for a walk.

“‘Walk?’ ses Sam.  ’Cert’nly not.  I’m going to bed; I didn’t ’ave a good night’s rest like you and your lodger.’

“He went back ’ome, and arter taking off ’is coat and boots got into bed and slept like a top till one o’clock, when he woke up to find Ginger shaking ’im by the shoulders.

“‘Wot’s the matter?’ he ses.  ‘Wot are you up to?’

“‘It’s dinner-time,’ ses Ginger.  ’I thought p’r’aps you’d like to know, in case you missed it.’

“‘You leave me alone,’ ses Sam, cuddling into the clothes agin.  ’I don’t want no dinner.  You go and look arter your own dinners.’

“He stayed in bed for another ’arf-hour, listening to Peter and Ginger telling each other in loud whispers ’ow hungry they was, and then he got up and put ’is things on and went to the door.

“‘I’m going to get a bit o’ dinner,’ he ses.  ’And mind, I’ve got my pocket ‘ankercher.’

“He went out and ‘ad a steak and onions and a pint o’ beer, but, although he kept looking up sudden from ’is plate, he didn’t see Peter or Ginger.  It spoilt ’is dinner a bit, but arter he got outside ’e saw them standing at the corner, and, pretending not to see them, he went off for a walk down the Mile End Road.

[Illustration:  “‘We thought you might want it, Sam,’ ses Peter”]

“He walked as far as Bow with them follering’im, and then he jumped on a bus and rode back as far as Whitechapel.  There was no sign of ’em when he got off, and, feeling a bit lonesome, he stood about looking in shop-windows until ’e see them coming along as hard as they could come.

“‘Why, halloa!’ he ses.  ‘Where did you spring from?’

“‘We—­we—­we’ve been—­for a bit of a walk,’ ses Ginger Dick, puffing and blowing like a grampus.

“’To-keep down the ‘unger,’ ses Peter Russet.

“Old Sam looked at ’em very stern for a moment, then he beckoned ’em to foller ’im, and, stopping at a little public-’ouse, he went in and ordered a pint o’ bitter.

“‘And give them two pore fellers a crust o’ bread and cheese and ’arf-a-pint of four ale each,’ he ses to the barmaid.

“Ginger and Peter looked at each other, but they was so hungry they didn’t say a word; they just stood waiting.

“‘Put that inside you my pore fellers,’ ses Sam, with a oily smile.  ’I can’t bear to see people suffering for want o’ food,’ he ses to the barmaid, as he chucked down a sovereign on the counter.