her, they both patted him on the back instead.

They made him take 'em to the little pub, arter breakfast, to read the
bill about the reward. Sam didn't mind going, as it 'appened, as he
'oped to meet 'is new pal there and tell 'im his troubles, but, though
they stayed there some time, 'e didn't turn up. He wasn't at the
coffee-shop for dinner, neither.

Peter and Ginger was in 'igh spirits, and, though Sam told 'em plain that
he would sooner walk about with a couple of real pickpockets, they
wouldn't leave 'im an inch.

"Anybody could steal it off of you, Sam," ses Ginger, patting 'im on the
weskit to make sure the locket was still there. "It's a good job you've
got us to look arter you."

"We must buy 'im a money-belt with a pocket in it," ses Peter.

Ginger nodded at 'im. "Yes," he ses, "that would be safer. And he'd
better wear it next to 'is skin, with everything over it. I should feel
more comfortable then."

"And wot about me?" says Sam, turning on 'im.

"Well, we'll take it in turns," ses Ginger. "You one day, and then me,
and then Peter."

Sam gave way at last, as arter all he could see it was the safest thing
to do, but he 'ad so much to say about it that they got fair sick of the
sound of 'is voice. They 'ad to go 'ome for 'im to put the belt on; and
then at seven o'clock in the evening, arter Sam had 'ad two or three
pints, they had to go 'ome agin, 'cos he was complaining of tight-lacing.

Ginger had it on next day and he went 'ome five times. The other two
went with 'im in case he lost 'imself, and stood there making nasty
remarks while he messed 'imself up with a penn'orth of cold cream. It
was a cheap belt, and pore Ginger said that, when they 'ad done with it,
it would come in handy for sand-paper.

Peter didn't like it any better than the other two did, and twice they
'ad to speak to 'im about stopping in the street and trying to make
'imself more comfortable by wriggling. Sam said people misunderstood it.

Arter that they agreed to wear it o

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.