Page:A Child of the Jago - Arthur Morrison.djvu/140

 Dicky, with his hand on the music box in the lining of his jacket, sauntered up by the tail of the truck and, waiting his chance, plunged his gift under the bundle of bedding and left it there. But the little hunchback's sharp eyes were jealously on him, and, "Look there!" he squealed. "'E put 'is 'and in the truck and took somethink!"

"Ye lie!" answered Dicky, indignant and hurt, but cautiously backing off; "I ain't got nothink." He spread his hands and opened his jacket in proof. "Think I got yer bloomin' bedstead?"

He had nothing, it was plain. In fact, at the tail of the truck there was nothing he could easily have moved at all, certainly nothing he could have concealed. So the rest of the little removal was hurried, for heads were now at windows, the loafers began to draw about the truck, and trouble might break out at any moment: indeed, the Ropers could never have