It did not strike him that poverty and crime are near neighbours; that the circumstances which make the honest man poor, make the lazy man a thief. Leonard was too young to be suspicious. He scarcely saw a shambling poorly-dressed rather wasted man whom he passed, and who afterwards stumbled along a very little way behind him. Nor did he specially notice two rather well-dressed but coarse-looking men who kept just ahead of him.
But when these two began to talk loud he did notice them. When they stood in the middle of the narrow pavement, quarrelling, Leonard paused and looked on.
"You did!" said the one.
"I did not!" said the other.
"I'll make you confess it on your marrow-bones!"
"You shall have every bone in your body broke first!"
By this time a crowd had begun to collect. The two men seemed preparing for a fight.
"Part them, someone!" cried Leonard.
"Let them fight it out!" cried a costermonger, seating himself on his barrow.
"I'll see fair play!" roared a great unwashed man.