When she was gone Mr.
Bartley assumed a peculiar attitude and began to speak in an
undertone.
'You know that medal as you gave me the other night?'
'What about it?'
'I sold it for fourpence to a chap I know. It got me a bed at the
lodgings in Pentonville Road.'
'Oh, you did! Well, what else?'
Jack was writhing in the most unaccountable way, peering hither and
thither out of the corners of his eyes. seeming to have an
obstruction in his throat.
'It was in a public-house as I sold it--a chap I know. There was
another chap as I didn't know standing just by--see? He kep'
looking at the medal, and he kep' looking at me. When I went out the
chap as I didn't know followed behind me. I didn't see him at first,
but he come up with me just at the top of Rosoman Street--a
red-haired chap, looked like a corster. "Hollo!" says he. "Hollo!"
says I. "Got any more o' them medals?" he says, in a quiet way like.
"What do you want to know for?" I says--'cos you see he was a
bloke as I didn't know nothing about, and there's no good being
over-free with your talk. He got me to walk on a bit with him, and
kept talking. "You didn't buy that nowhere," he says, with a sort of
wink.
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