Upon arriving at the “Elephant and Castle” he alighted, and took the cabman in front of the bar, where he stood a friendly glass. Drivers of cabs, as a rule, have a weakness for hot rum and water, and the one in question was not an exception—he elected to have a small modicum of that inspiring beverage; and after it had been consumed Peace paid the fare and discharged the knight of the whip. He remained in the house of public accommodation for some time after the departure of the cabman, and regarded the persons there assembled with a searching glance.
He could not see anyone whom he suspected to be an officer of the law, and concluded that no one was on his trail; but he was duly impressed with the fact of having had a narrow escape—indeed, the number of chances he had of being detected at this period of his career would, if they were all chronicled, appear to be more like a romance than an actual reality. But it is our purpose to sketch the most noticeable and leading events in his lawless and chequered career, and these will, of necessity, occupy sufficient space without entering into every minute detail.
Fortune had favoured him this time, as she had done on many other occasions.
He had succeeded in getting away from the Jew’s house, but he was greatly troubled when he thought of Bandy-legged Bill, whom he had missed sight of soon after his entrance into Mr. Simmonds’ respectable establishment.
“What had become of him?” was the question he asked himself when in front of the bar of the “Elephant and Castle.”
“Had he been captured; and if so, what followed?”
He had unlimited faith in Bill’s integrity. As far as he was concerned he was quite certain that the gipsy would never “peach” or turn approver. Still it was an ugly fact to reflect upon, that he had under his charge a mass of stolen goods, which, if discovered, might lead to his (Peace’s) detection.
This thought was by no means a pleasant one, and the more he reflected, the more seriously concerned did Peace become.
He was uncertain as to his mode of action, and felt a little reluctant to return home. He, therefore, went into the parlour of the establishment and read the paper, without taking any notice of the few persons who happened to be there at the time.
After this he hailed an omnibus, and made the best of his way to Peckham.