Sam was silent, and the disposition was on him strongly now to strike the fellow down.
He dismissed the thought again, feeling how useless it would be to make him an enemy, and the other course now offered itself to him.
“You don’t want to know what I’m after,” he said, with a faint laugh. “It’s only for a bit of fun.”
“Not it. People don’t break in at windows for fun. You give me something, or I’ll go and tell.”
Sam’s heart leaped with satisfaction at this. Money, then, would buy the young scoundrel off, and he hastily took out a coin, and held it out so as to silence his enemy; but at the same time he felt that there was nothing to be done now but get back to town with his mission unfulfilled.
To his great delight the coin was snatched and pocketed, but he did not feel so well satisfied the next moment.
“That’s on’y a shillin’. Give’s another.”
A second was held out and taken.
“Now I wants another,” said Pete, and upon this being given, he demanded a fourth, and then a fifth.
Pete was satisfied now, and he said with a low chuckle—