“It mightn’t be found yet,” ses the man, speaking thoughtful-like.  “It’s wonderful how long a thing’ll lay sometimes.  Wot about going and ’aving a look for it?”

Sam shook his ’ead at fust, but arter turning the thing over in his mind, and ’aving another look at the bill, and copying down the name and address for luck, ’e said p’r’aps they might as well walk that way as anywhere else.

“Something seems to tell me we’ve got a chance,” ses the man, as they stepped outside.

“It’s a funny feeling and I can’t explain it, but it always means good luck.  Last time I had it an aunt o’ mine swallered ’er false teeth and left me five ’undred pounds.”

“There’s aunts and aunts,” ses Sam, grunting.  “I ’ad one once, but if she had swallered ‘er teeth she’d ha’ been round to me to help ’er buy some new ones.  That’s the sort she was.”

“Mind!” ses the man, patting ’im on the shoulder, “if we do find this, I don’t want any of it.  I’ve got all I want.  It’s all for you.”

They went on like a couple o’ brothers arter that, especially Sam, and when they got to the Mint they walked along slow down Tower Hill looking for the locket.  It was awkward work, because, if people saw them looking about, they’d ’ave started looking too, and twice Sam nearly fell over owing to walking like a man with a stiff neck and squinting down both sides of his nose at once.  When they got as far as the Stairs they came back on the other side of the road, and they ’ad turned to go back agin when a docker-looking chap stopped Sam’s friend and spoke to ’im.

“I’ve got no change, my man,” ses Sam’s pal, pushing past him.

“I ain’t begging, guv’nor,” ses the chap, follering ’im up.  “I’m trying to sell some-thing.”

“Wot is it?” ses the other, stopping.

The man looked up and down the street, and then he put his ’ead near them and whispered.

“Eh?” ses Sam’s pal.

“Something I picked up,” ses the man, still a-whispering.

Sam got a pinch on the arm from ’is pal that nearly made him scream, then they both stood still, staring at the docker.

“Wot is it?” ses Sam, at last.

The docker looked over his shoulder agin, and then ’e put his ’and in his trouser-pocket and just showed ’em a big, fat gold locket with diamonds stuck all over it.  Then he shoved it back in ’is pocket, while Sam’s pal was giving ’im a pinch worse than wot the other was.

“It’s the one,” he ses, in a whisper.  “Let’s ’ave another look at it,” he ses to the docker.

The man fished it out of his pocket agin, and held on to it tight while they looked at it.

“Where did you find it?” ses Sam.

“Found it over there, just by the Mint,” ses the man, pointing.

[Illustration:  “Found it over there, just by the Mint,” SES the man, pointing.]