It was twelve o’clock in the morning when George went, and at ha’-past four Rupert turned nasty, and said ’e was afraid he was trying to get them for nothing.  At five o’clock he said George was a fool, and at ha’-past he said ’e was something I won’t repeat.

It was just eleven o’clock, and they ’ad shut up for the night, when the front door opened, and George stood there smiling at ’em and shaking his ’ead.

“Sush a lark,” he ses, catching ’old of Mr. Alfredi’s arm to steady ’imself.  “I gave ’im shlip.”

“Wot d’ye mean?” ses the manager, shaking him off.  “Gave who the slip?  Where’s them clothes?”

“Boy’s got ’em,” ses George, smiling agin and catching hold of Kumbo’s arm.  “Sush a lark; he’s been car-carrying ’em all day—­all day.  Now I’ve given ’im the—­the shlip, ‘stead o’—­’stead o’ giving ’im fourpence.  Take care o’ the pensh, an’ pouns—­”

He let go o’ Kumbo’s arm, turned round twice, and then sat down ’eavy and fell fast asleep.  The manager rushed to the door and looked out, but there was no signs of the boy, and he came back shaking his ’ead, and said that George ’ad been drinking agin.

“Well, wot about my clothes?” ses Rupert, hardly able to speak.

“P’r’aps he didn’t buy ’em arter all,” ses the manager.  “Let’s try ’is pockets.”

He tried fust, and found some strawberries that George ’ad spoilt by sitting on.  Then he told Rupert to have a try, and Rupert found some bits of string, a few buttons, two penny stamps, and twopence ha’penny in coppers.

“Never mind,” ses Mr. Alfredi; “I’ll go round to the police-station in the morning; p’r’aps the boy ’as taken them there.  I’m disapp’inted in George.  I shall tell ’im so, too.”

He bid Rupert good-night and went off with Mrs. Alfredi; and Rupert, wishful to make the best o’ things, decided that he would undress George and go off in ’is clothes.  He waited till Kumbo ’ad gone off to bed, and then he started to take George’s coat off.  He got the two top buttons undone all right, and then George turned over in ’is sleep.  It surprised Rupert, but wot surprised ’im more when he rolled George over was to find them two buttons done up agin.  Arter it had ’appened three times he see ’ow it was, and he come to the belief that George was no more drunk than wot he was, and that it was all a put-up thing between ’im and Mr. Alfredi.

He went to bed then to think it over, and by the morning he ’ad made up his mind to keep quiet and bide his time, as the saying is.  He spoke quite cheerful to Mr. Alfredi, and pretended to believe ’im when he said that he ’ad been to the police-station about the clothes.

Two days arterwards he thought of something; he remembered me.  He ’ad found a dirty old envelope on the floor, and with a bit o’ lead pencil he wrote me a letter on the back of one o’ the bills, telling me all his troubles, and asking me to bring some clothes and rescue ’im.  He stuck on one of the stamps he ’ad found in George’s pocket, and opening the door just afore going to bed threw it out on the pavement.