Barnabas stumbled suddenly, dropped his cane, saw his hat spin
through the air and roll on before him; staggered sideways, was
brought up by a wall, and turning, found three men about him,
--evil-faced men whose every move and look held a menace. A darting
hand snatched at his fob-seals, but Barnabas smote, swift and hard,
and the three were reduced, for the moment, to two. Thus with his
back to the wall stood Barnabas, fists clenched, grim of mouth, and
with eyes quick and bright; wherefore, beholding him in this posture,
his assailants hesitated. But the diamonds sparkled at them from his
cravat, the bunch of seals gleamed at them from his fob, and the
fallen man having risen, albeit unsteadily, they began to close in
upon him. Then, all at once, even as he poised himself to meet their
rush, a distant voice uttered a sharp, warning cry, whereat the three,
spattering curses, incontinent took to their heels, and were gone
with a thud of flying feet.
For a moment Barnabas stood dazed by the suddenness of it all, then,
stooping to recover hat and cane, glanced about, and saw that he was
in a dirty, narrow street, or rather alley. Now up this alley a man
was approaching, very deliberately, for as he came, he appeared to
be perusing a small book. He was a short, broad-shouldered man, a
mild-faced man of a sober habit of dress, with a broad-brimmed hat
upon his head--a hat higher in the crown than was the custom, and a
remarkably nobbly stick beneath his arm; otherwise, and in all
respects, he was a very ordinary-looking man indeed, and as he walked,
book in hand, might have been some small tradesman busily casting up
his profit and loss, albeit he had a bright and roving eye.
Being come up with Barnabas, he stopped, closed his book upon his
finger, touched the broad rim of his hat, and looked at Barnabas, or
to be exact, at the third left-hand button of his coat.
"Anything stole, sir?" he inquired hopefully.
"No," answered Barnabas, "no, I think not."
"Ah, then you won't be vantin' to mek a charge ag'in 'em, sir?"
"No,--besides, they've escaped."
"Escaped, Lord no, sir, they've only run avay, I can allus put my
'ooks on 'em,--I spotted 'em, d'ye see. And I know 'em, Lord love you!
--like a feyther! They vas Bunty Fagan, Dancin' James, and Vistlin'
Dick, two buzmen an' a prig."
"What do you mean?" inquired Barnabas, beginning to eye the man
askance for all his obtrusive mildness.
"I means two pickpockets and a thief, sir. It vas Vistlin' Dick as
you give such a 'leveller' to,--a rare pretty knock-down I vill say,
sir,--never saw a cleaner--Oh! they're a bad lot, they are,
'specially Vistlin' Dick, an' it's lucky for you as I 'appened to
come this vay."