THE WOULDBEGOODS
ramping in her brother's breast. But Oswald kept calm. He said:
"All right," and he made the others turn out their pockets. Denny had a bad shilling, with a head on both sides, and three halfpence. H. O. had a halfpenny. Noël had a French penny, which is only good for chocolate machines at railway stations. Dicky had tenpence halfpenny, and Oswald had a two-shilling piece of his own that he was saving up to buy a gun with. Oswald tied the whole lot up in his handkerchief, and looking over the battlements, he said:
"You are an ungrateful beast. We gave you sixpence freely of our own will."
The man did look a little bit ashamed, but he mumbled something about having his living to get.
Then Oswald said:
"Here you are. Catch!" and he flung down the handkerchief with the money in it.
The man muffed the catch—butter-fingered idiot!—but he picked up the handkerchief and undid it, and when he saw what was in it he swore dreadfully. The cad!
"Look here," he called out, "this won't do, young shaver. I want those there shiners I see in your pus! Chuck 'em along!"
Then Oswald laughed. He said:
"I shall know you again anywhere, and you'll be put in prison for this. Here are the shiners." And he was so angry he chucked down purse and all. The shiners were not real ones, but only card-counters that looked like sovereigns
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