He went to bed afore Ginger and Peter came in, but ’e was so excited he couldn’t sleep, and long arter they was in bed he laid there and thought of all the different ways of spending a ’undred pounds.  He kept taking the locket from under ’is piller and feeling it; then he felt ’e must ’ave another look at it, and arter coughing ’ard two or three times and calling out to the other two not to snore—­to see if they was awake—­he got out o’ bed and lit the candle.  Ginger and Peter was both fast asleep, with their eyes screwed up and their mouths wide open, and ’e sat on the bed and looked at the locket until he was a’most dazzled.

“’Ullo, Sam!” ses a voice.  “Wot ’ave you got there?”

Sam nearly fell off the bed with surprise and temper.  Then ’e hid the locket in his ’and and blew out the candle.

“Who gave it to you?” ses Ginger.

“You get off to sleep, and mind your own bisness,” ses Sam, grinding ’is teeth.

He got back into bed agin and laid there listening to Ginger waking up Peter.  Peter woke up disagreeable, but when Ginger told ’im that Sam ’ad stole a gold locket as big as a saucer, covered with diamonds, he altered ’is mind.

“Let’s ’ave a look at it,” he ses, sitting up.

“Ginger’s dreaming,” ses Sam, in a shaky voice.  “I ain’t got no locket.  Wot d’you think I want a locket for?”

Ginger got out o’ bed and lit the candle agin.  “Come on!” he ses, “let’s ’ave a look at it.  I wasn’t dreaming.  I’ve been awake all the time, watching you.”

Sam shut ’is eyes and turned his back to them.

“He’s gone to sleep, pore old chap,” ses Ginger.  “We’ll ’ave a look at it without waking ’im.  You take that side, Peter!  Mind you don’t disturb ’im.”

He put his ’and in under the bed-clo’es and felt all up and down Sam’s back, very careful.  Sam stood it for ’arf a minute, and then ’e sat up in bed and behaved more like a windmill than a man.

“Hold his ’ands,” ses Ginger.

“Hold ’em yourself,” ses Peter, dabbing ’is nose with his shirt-sleeve.

“Well, we’re going to see it,” ses Ginger, “if we have to make enough noise to rouse the ’ouse.  Fust of all we’re going to ask you perlite; then we shall get louder and louder. Show us the locket wot you stole, Sam!”

“Show—­us—­the—­diamond locket!” ses Peter.

“It’s my turn, Peter,” ses Ginger.  “One, two, three.  Show—­us—­th’——­”

“Shut up,” ses Sam, trembling all over.  “I’ll show it to you if you stop your noise.”

He put his ’and under his piller, but afore he showed it to ’em he sat up in bed and made ’em a little speech.  He said ’e never wanted to see their faces agin as long as he lived, and why Ginger’s mother ’adn’t put ‘im in a pail o’ cold water when ’e was born ’e couldn’t understand.  He said ’e didn’t believe that even a mother could love a baby that looked like a cod-fish with red ’air, and as for Peter Russet, ’e believed his mother died of fright.