Do you hear, Turnip?
that's where you'll go--to Cadger's uncle." It occurred to me that Cadger's uncle would have to be vastly more respectable and fragrant than his nephew to make the change at all advantageous to me.
"Is young Cadger a thief ?" I next inquired.
The pipe laughed.
"Why, what a funny chap you are, Turnip!" it said.
"Does it look like it?
Cadger a thief!--oh, my eye! not at all.

Eh, mate ?" The greasy string took up the laugh, and snivelled in chorus.
"Ho, ho! ain't he a funny chap?
Do you hear.

Turnip?
ain't you a funny chap?
Oh, my eye! not at all." It was disgusting! Not only was I cooped up in an abominably filthy tail-coat pocket, with a motley rabble of disreputable associates, but every time I opened my lips here I was insulted and laughed at for every word I spoke.
However, I gathered that the purport of the reply to my last inquiry was that the young Cadger _was_ a thief, and I made one more attempt to gain information.
"Where are we going to now ?" I asked.
"Going!" cried the pipe, with his insulting jeer.
"What, don't you know where you're a-going, old Turnip?
You're a-going wherever he takes yer; ain't he, mate ?" It was positively painful to see how that vile piece of string wriggled as he replied,-- "Do you hear, Turnip?
You're a-going wherever young Cadger takes yer.
Now what do you think of that ?" It was impossible to continue a conversation with such low, ill-mannered creatures, and I therefore abandoned the attempt, having at least ascertained that I was at present located in a thief's pocket, that my immediate destination was vague, and that ultimately I might expect to become the property of a near relative of my present possessor.
Noticing that I became silent, the pipe and the string between them began to question me.

But I was neither in the mood nor the desire to gratify their curiosity.

They therefore contented themselves with cracking jokes at my expense, and thus we journeyed together a mile or two towards our unknown destination.
Presently a dirty little hand came groping down into our place of retreat.