“You stick to it,” ses Ginger, “and keep out o’ Mr. Cubbins’s way.  That’s my advice to you.  ’Sides, p’r’aps it ain’t a real one.”

Sam told ’im agin he didn’t want none of ’is advice, and, as Ginger wouldn’t leave off talking, he pretended to go to sleep.  Ginger woke ’im up three times to tell ’im wot a fool ’e was, but ’e got so fierce that he gave it up at last and told ’im to go ’is own way.

Sam wouldn’t speak to either of ’em next morning, and arter breakfast he went off on ’is own.  He came back while Peter and Ginger was out, and they wasted best part o’ the day trying to find ’im.

“We’ll be on Tower Hill just afore nine and keep ‘im out o’ mischief, any way,” ses Peter.

Ginger nodded.  “And be called names for our pains,” he ses.  “I’ve a good mind to let ’im be robbed.”

“It ’ud serve ’im right,” ses Peter, “on’y then he’d want to borrer off of us.  Look here!  Why not—­why not rob ’im ourselves?”

“Wot?” ses Ginger, starting.

“Walk up behind ’im and rob ’im,” ses Peter.  “He’ll think it’s them two chaps he spoke about, and when ’e comes ’ome complaining to us we’ll tell ’im it serves ’im right.  Arter we’ve ’ad a game with ’im for a day or two we’ll give ’im ’is money back.”

“But he’d reckernize us,” ses Ginger.

“We must disguise ourselves,” ses Peter, in a whisper.  “There’s a barber’s shop in Cable Street, where I’ve seen beards in the winder.  You hook ’em on over your ears.  Get one o’ them each, pull our caps over our eyes and turn our collars up, and there you are.”

Ginger made a lot of objections, not because he didn’t think it was a good idea, but because he didn’t like Peter thinking of it instead of ’im; but he gave way at last, and, arter he ’ad got the beard, he stood for a long time in front o’ the glass thinking wot a difference it would ha’ made to his looks if he had ’ad black ‘air instead o’ red.

Waiting for the evening made the day seem very long to ’em; but it came at last, and, with the beards in their pockets, they slipped out and went for a walk round.  They ’ad ’arf a pint each at a public-’ouse at the top of the Minories, just to steady themselves, and then they came out and hooked on their beards; and wot with them, and pulling their caps down and turning their coat-collars up, there wasn’t much of their faces to be seen by anybody.

It was just five minutes to nine when they got to Tower Hill, and they walked down the middle of the road, keeping a bright lookout for old Sam.  A little way down they saw a couple o’ chaps leaning up agin a closed gate in the dock wall lighting their pipes, and Peter and Ginger both nudged each other with their elbows at the same time.  They ’ad just got to the bottom of the Hill when Sam turned the corner.

Peter wouldn’t believe at fust that the old man wasn’t really the worse for liquor, ‘e was so lifelike.  Many a drunken man would ha’ been proud to ha’ done it ’arf so well, and it made ’im pleased to think that Sam was a pal of ’is.  Him and Ginger turned and crept up behind the old man on tiptoe, and then all of a sudden he tilted Sam’s cap over ’is eyes and flung his arms round ’im, while Ginger felt in ’is coat-pockets and took out a leather purse chock full o’ money.