“Wot’s the row?” ses Ginger, staring.

Sam didn’t answer ’im.  He stood there struck all of a heap.

“Do you know ’em?” ses Peter.

Sam couldn’t answer ’im for a time.  He was doing a bit of ’ard thinking.

“Chap I ’ad a row with the other night,” he ses, at last.

He walked on very thoughtful, and the more ’e thought, the less ’e liked it.  He was so pale that Ginger thought ’e was ill and advised ’im to ‘ave a drop o’ brandy.  Peter recommended rum, so to please ’em he ’ad both.  It brought ’is colour back, but not ’is cheerfulness.

He gave ’em both the slip next morning; which was easy, as Ginger was wearing the locket, and, arter fust ’aving a long ride for nothing owing to getting in the wrong train, he got to Barnet.

It was a big place; big enough to ’ave a dozen Orange Villas, but pore
Sam couldn’t find one.  It wasn’t for want of trying neither.

He asked at over twenty shops, and the post-office, and even went to the police-station.  He must ha’ walked six or seven miles looking for it, and at last, ’arf ready to drop, ’e took the train back.

He ‘ad some sausages and mashed potatoes with a pint o’ stout at a place in Bishopsgate, and then ’e started to walk ’ome.  The only comfort he ’ad was the thought of the ten pounds Ginger and Peter ’ad paid ’im; and when he remembered that he began to cheer up and even smile.  By the time he got ’ome ’e was beaming all over ’is face.

“Where’ve you been?” ses Ginger.

“Enjoying myself by myself,” ses Sam.

“Please yourself,” ses Peter, very severe, “but where’d you ha’ been if we ’ad sold the locket and skipped, eh?”

“You wouldn’t ’ave enjoyed yourself by yourself then,” ses Ginger.  “Yes, you may laugh!”

Sam didn’t answer ’im, but he sat down on ’is bed and ’is shoulders shook till Ginger lost his temper and gave him a couple o’ thumps on the back that pretty near broke it.

“All right,” ses Sam, very firm.  “Now you ’ave done for yourselves.  I ’ad a’most made up my mind to go shares; now you sha’n’t ’ave a ha’penny.”

Ginger laughed then.  “Ho!” he ses, “and ’ow are you going to prevent it?”

“We’ve got the locket, Sam,” ses Peter, smiling and shaking his ’ead at ’im.

“And we’ll mind it till it’s sold,” ses Ginger.

Sam laughed agin, short and nasty.  Then he undressed ’imself very slow and got into bed.  At twelve o’clock, just as Ginger was dropping off, he began to laugh agin, and ’e only stopped when ’e heard Ginger getting out of bed to ’im.

He stayed in bed next morning, ’cos he said ’is sides was aching, but ’e laughed agin as they was going out, and when they came back he ’ad gorn.

We never know ‘ow much we’ like anything till we lose it.  A week arterwards, as Ginger was being ’elped out of a pawnshop by Peter, he said ’e would give all he ’adn’t got for the locket to be near enough to Sam to hear ’im laugh agin.