Which Relates, Among Other Things, How Barnabas Lost His Hat

"Me--are you sure?"

"And sartin! Corporal Richard Roe, late Grenadiers, give me the
office, and Corporal Richard's never wrong, sir. Corporal Dick's
my pal as keeps the 'Gun' in Gray's Inn Lane, you may remember, and
the 'Gun' 's a famous chaffing-crib for the flash, leary coves. So,
v'en the Corp tipped me the vord, sir, I put my castor on my sconce,
slipped a barker in my cly, took my stick in my fib--or as you might
say 'daddle,' d' ye see, and toddled over to keep a ogle on you. And,
sir, if it hadn't been for the young gent as shadowed ye all the way
to Giles's Rents, it's my opinion as they'd ha' done you into a
corp as you come along."

"But why should they want to do for me?"

"V'y, sir, they'd do for their own mothers, j'yful, if you paid 'em
to!"

"But who would employ such a gang?"

"Vell, sir, naming no names, there's a party as I suspect from
conclusions as I've drawed, a party as I'm a-going to try to ketch
this here werry night, sir--as I mean to ketch in flay-grant
de-lick-too, vich is a law term meaning--in the werry act, sir, if
you'll help me?"

"Of course I will," said Barnabas, a little eagerly, "but how?"

"By doing eggs-actly as I tell you, sir. Is it a go?"

"It is," nodded Barnabas.

"V'y, then, to begin vith, that theer coat o' yours,--it's too long
to run in--off vith it, sir!"