“ You my new lad?” he said.
Paul stood up and said he was.
“ Fetched the letters?”
Mr. Pappleworth gave a chew to his gum.
“ Yes.”
“ Copied ’em?”
“ No.”
“ Well, come on then, let’s look slippy. Changed your coat?”
“ No.”
“ You want to bring an old coat and leave it here.” He pronounced the last words with the chlorodyne gum between his side teeth. He vanished into the darkness behind the great parcel-rack, reappeared coatless, turning up a smart striped shirt-cuff over a thin and hairy arm. Then he slipped into his coat. Paul noticed how thin he was, and that his trousers were in folds behind. He seized a stool, dragged it beside the boy’s, and sat down.
“ Sit down,” he said.
Paul took a seat.
Mr. Pappleworth was very close to him. The man seized the letters, snatched
