“This ain’t like a friend, Bill,” returned Tongs, highly disgusted with this ungenerous proposal. “Nobody ever knowed me interfere with a comrade when I was on sentry. How long ago is it since I let ye stay in my box an hour, till ye was sober enough to walk into barracks, when I was sentry at the gate? Why, the whole bundle ain’t worth eighteenpence—and I’ve worked hard for it.”
“Half-shares?” reiterated Bill, not melted in the least by the memory of ancient benefits.
“No, by G——!” said Bags in great wrath.
“Serg——,” began Bill in an elevated voice, porting his arms at the same time.
“Stop!” said Bags; “don’t call the sergeant. Half is better nor nothing, if ye’re going to behave like that. We’ll say half, then.”
“Ah,” said Bill, returning to his former position—“I thought we should agree. And now let’s see ’em, Tongs.”
Muttering still his disapprobation of this unworthy treatment, Bags put his bundle on the stone embrasure of the battery, and began to unfold it.
Eighteenpence was certainly a low valuation. Bags appeared to have visited a jeweller’s shop. Watches, rings, bracelets, gold chains, and brooches glittered on the dingy surface of the handkerchief.
“My eye!” said Bill, unable to repress a low laugh of delight—“why, we’ll turn bankers when we’ve sold ’em. Tongs and Co.—eh?” said Bill with considerable humour.
Bags, however, told him he was altogether mistaken in his estimate—most of the things were pinchbeck, he said, and the stones all glass; and, to save Bill any trouble, he offered to dispose of them himself to the best possible advantage, and bring his partner his share of the proceeds, which would certainly be at least ninepence, and might perhaps be half-a-dollar. This arrangement did not, however, meet the approbation of the astute William, who insisted on dividing the spoils by lot. But here, again, there was a slight misunderstanding, for both fixed their affections on a gigantic watch, which never could have been got into any modern pocket, and whose face was ornamented with paintings from the heathen mythology. Both of them supposed, from the size and the brilliancy of the colours, that this must be of immense value. Finding they were not likely to come to a speedy arrangement on this point, they agreed to postpone the division of the spoils till morning.