A minute later The Lifter came whiffling along and joined our hero.

'Well, stranger, what do you think of the parseen?'

'I think that he is a blasphemous villian; and I wonder that God
Almighty does not send a bolt from heaven upon such a wretch.'

'But it is said that they have a good deal of patience in heaveen. Well, I think they must or they never would suffer the Rev. Mr. Jonas to walk the earth. I often sit a thinkeen about him; and always come to the conclusion that he is not sincere.'

'Cease your knavery, fellow. What purpose can it serve to talk in this fashion to me?'

'Well, I will. I like you, because you knocked down the bully. I have a great likeen for the fellow's gal; but till you came she cared best for Joe. I'd like to tell you summat of my brethreen. But say, are you here hard and fast?'

'I fear, alas, I am.'

'What did you do; kill your man in a duel?' Roland sighed and bowed his head.

'Then you cannot go away and peach, so I'll give you a bit of our indoor history. You saw these as went out to-day. Wall, they are off spotteen (spotting). Joe will go to some comfortable farm house and ask for a job saween wood. He can be very good natured and obligeen; and pretty soon he gets the run of the house. If there is a silver spoon or a watch in the house he seldom leaves—though he often returns day in and day out to the same house—without bringeen it away. Sometimes he hears of a man who has a lot of shiners, and if he can be sure that he keeps it in the house, he makes himself at home for a few days about the place doeen chores cheap. His next visit is when they are all asleep; when there is no moon, and the storm makes much clatter. He escaped from Newgate in the ould country; came to Muddy York and got jugged. He broke bars and was picked up one evening as you were on the edge of this swamp. He was the very man they needed here.

'But there is a very interesting history belongeen to the Rev. Mr. Jonas. That is, as to how he became the Rev. Mr. Jonas. Well, it was like this. He was caught when very young at Piccadilly pickeen a gentleman's pocket. He learnt the trade under one Fagan, a jew, the cheese toaster that you read about in that new book, Oliver Twist. He was sentenced to three years; but when he got out he joined the pickpockets again; was again caught and transported to Australia. From that far away place he beat his passage to Halifax; and worked his way from that town, too, till he got to York. He was prime always at workeen anything. Well, he got tired of idleness in York, and one night climbed into the residence of Sir Edmond Bond Head, the gov'nor, and stole his watch. The gov'nor fired, but harmed notheen except the glass. The next day he sold the watch to a Jew; but the detectives were on his track and nabbed him. He was sent down for six years.