THE TROUBLES OF A YOUNG THIEF.

HAVE often thought-and and I took that up and wrapt it altogether, with some mirth, too-how and carried it in that a good way. I have I had really more wealth often since heard people say, when they have than I knew what to do been talking of money that they could not with [five pounds, his share get in, "I wish I had it in a foul clout." of the plunder]; for lodging In truth, I had mine in a foul clout; for it I had none, nor any box or was foul, according to the letter of that saydrawer to hide my money in, ing, but it served me till I came to a connor had I any pocket but venient place, and then I sat down and such as I say was full of washed the cloth in the kennel, and so holes. I knew nobody in then put my money in again. the world that I could go and desire them to lay it up for me, for, being a poor, naked, ragged boy, they would presently say I had robbed somebody, and perhaps lay hold of me, and my money would be my crime, as they say it often is in foreign countries. And now, as I was full of wealth, behold I was full of care, for what to do to secure my money I could not tell; and this held me so long, and was so vexatious to me the next day, that I truly sat down and cried.

Nothing could be more perplexing than this money was to me all that night. I carried it in my hand a good while, for it was in gold all but fourteen shillings; and that is to say, it was four guineas, and that fourteen shillings was more difficult to carry than the four guineas. At last I sat down and pulled off one of my shoes and put the four guineas into that; but after I had gone a while my shoe hurt me so I could not go, so I was fain to sit down again and take it out of my shoe and carry it in my hand. Then I found a dirty linen rag in the street,

Well, I carried it home with me to my lodging in the glass-house; and when I went to go to sleep, I knew not what to do with it. If I had let any of the black crew I was with know of it, I should have been smothered in the ashes for it or robbed of it, or some trick or other put upon me for it; so I knew not what to do, but lay with it in my hand, and my hand in my bosom; but then sleep went from my eyes. Oh, the weight of human care! I, a poor beggar-boy, could not sleep so soon as I had but a little money to keep, who before that could have slept upon a heap of brickbats, stones or cinders, or anywhere, as sound as a rich man does on his down bed, and sounder too.

Every now and then dropping asleep, I should dream that my money was lost and start like one frightened, then, finding it fast in my hand, try to go to sleep again, but could not for a long while, then drop and start again. At last a fancy came into my head that if I fell asleep I should dream of the money, and talk of it in my

sleep, and tell that I had money; which | Beggar's at Bethnal Green. When I got a if I should do, and one of the rogues should little way in the lane, I found a footpath over hear me, they would pick it out of my bos- the fields, and in those fields several trees for om, and of my hand too, without waking me; my turn, as I thought. At last, one tree had and after that thought I could not sleep a a little hole in it pretty high out of my reach, wink more; so I passed that night over in and I climbed up the tree to get it, and when care and anxiety enough. And this, I may I came there I put my hand in, and found, as safely say, was the first night's rest that I I thought, a place very fit; so I placed my lost by the cares of this life and the deceit- treasure there, and was mighty well satisfied fulness of riches. with it. But, behold, putting my hand in again to lay it more commodiously, as I thought, of a sudden it slipped away from me, and I found the tree was hollow and my little parcel was fallen in out of my reach, and how far it might go in I knew not; so that, in a word, my money was quite gone, irrecoverably lost. There could be no room so much as to hope ever to see it again, for 'twas a vast great tree.

As soon as it was day I got out of the hole we lay in and rambled abroad in the fields toward Stepney, and there I mused and considered what I should do with this money, and many a time I wished that I had not had it; for, after all my ruminating upon it and what course I should take with it, or where I should put it, I could not hit upon any one thing or any possible method to secure it; and it perplexed me so that at last, as I said just now, I sat down and cried heartily. When my crying was over, the case was the same: I had the money still, and what to do with it I could not tell. At last it came into my head that I should look out for some hole in a tree and see to hide it there till I should have occasion for it. Big with this discovery, as I then thought it, I began to look about me for a tree, but there were no trees in the fields about Stepney or Mile-end that looked fit for my purpose; and if there were any that I began to look narrowly at, the fields were so full of people that they would see if I went to hide anything there, and I thought the people eyed me, as it were, and that two men in particular followed me to see what I intended to do.

This drove me further off, and I crossed the road at Mile-end, and in the middle of the town went down a lane that goes away to the Blind

As young as I was, I was now sensible what a fool I was before, that I could not think of ways to keep my money, but I must come thus far to throw it into a hole where I could not reach it. Well, I thrust my hand quite up to my elbow, but no bottom was to be found, nor any end of the hole or cavity. I got a stick of the tree, and thrust it in a great way, but all was one; then I cried-nay, roared out, I was in such a passion; then I got down the tree again, then up again, and thrust in my hand again till I scratched my arm and made it bleed, and cried all the while most violently. Then I began to think I had not so much as a halfpenny of it left for a halfpenny roll, and I was hungry; and then I cried again. Then I came away in despair, crying and roaring like a little boy that had been whipped; then I went back again to the tree, and up the tree again; and thus I did several times.