Ugh! "That there's the soldier, Turnip; ain't it, mate ?" called out the pipe.
"Do you hear, Turnip?
this here's the soldier.

How do you like him ?" snuffled the string.
It was enough! I felt my nerves collapse, and my circulation fail, and for the remainder of that dreadful night I was speechless.
I was not, however, blind, or so far gone as to be unable to notice in a vague sort of way what happened.
The young gentleman rejoicing in the name of Cadger (but whose real cognomen I subsequently ascertained to be Stumpy Walker) proceeded on his walk, whistling shrilly to himself, exchanging a passing recognition with one and another loafer, and going out of his way to kick every boy he saw smaller than himself, which last exertion, by the way, at twelve o'clock at night he did not find very often necessary.
I observed that he did not go out of his way to avoid the police; on the contrary, he made a point of touching his hat to every guardian of the peace he happened to meet, and actually went so far as to inform one that "he'd want his muckintogs before morning"-- a poetical way of prophesying rain.
He proceeded down a succession of back streets, which it would have puzzled a stranger to remember, till he came into a large deserted thoroughfare which was undergoing a complete renovation of its drainage arrangements.

All along the side of the road extended an array of huge new pipes, some three feet in diameter, awaiting their turn underground.
Into one of these Master Walker dived, and as it was just tall enough to allow of his sitting upright in its interior, and just long enough to allow his small person to lie at full length without either extremity protruding; and further, as the rain was just beginning to come down, I could not forbear, even in the midst of my misery, admiring his selection of a lodging.
Greatly to my relief, the "soldier," the crust, and the pipe were all three presently summoned from the pocket, and with the help of the first two and the consolation of the last, Master Walker contrived to make an evening meal which at least afforded _him_ satisfaction.
Before making himself snug for the night he pulled me out, and by the aid of the feeble light of a neighbouring lamp-post, made a hasty examination of my exterior and interior.

Having apparently satisfied himself as to my value, he put me and the pipe back into his dreadful pocket, from which, even yet, the fumes of the "soldier" had not faded, and then curled himself up like a dormouse and composed himself to slumber.
He had not, however, settled himself many moments before another ragged figure came crawling down the inside of the pipes towards him.

Stumpy started up at the first sound in a scared sort of way, but instantly resumed his composure on seeing who the intruder was.
"What cheer, Stumpy ?" said the latter.
"What cheer, Tuppeny ?" replied my master.