Alfie stared at the stolen money; it was no longer possible to step away and become a law-abiding citizen. He hadn’t intended to become a criminal, didn’t really think of Ginger and the gang as such, but the pile in the middle of the mattress meant he could never return to Colchester.
‘Right, let’s empty the pocketbooks and other purses; likely there’ll be flimsies as well as coins to count.’
‘I’ve had my turn. Let someone else do it. I’ll count the money if you want,’ Alfie offered.
‘What we need is to keep a record. It’ll be easier to work out who gets what if it’s writ down.’
‘I’ve got a pencil,’ Alfie said, removing a stub from the depths of his jacket pocket. ‘There’s bound to be some paper in one of them pocketbooks I can write on.’
Nothing else had as much coin as the first, but one wallet contained two five-pound notes. Although the auction-goers were well off, they weren’t much more than middling folk really. The wealthy didn’t attend the common courtyard auctions; they went to one in a grand house where the furniture and stock was sold where it stood.
As the money was counted Alfie laboriously wrote down the amounts. Anything that had to be passed on to a fence was put to one side; there was no point in trying to shift that at the moment because Silas would be looking out for them. That was the sort of place he’d be expecting to catch them.
‘There’s two pocket watches, a bracelet, a gold chain, a snuffbox, a silver cigarette case; and one what has bits of card in it.’ Ginger sifted through the items, well satisfied with the haul. ‘To think we did all this in less than forty minutes.’
‘I was beside myself waiting for someone to get out his money to pay and find it gone. You’d have been nabbed. It would have been too difficult to escape from that place if a hue and cry had started.’
‘We ain’t stupid, Alfie. We only dipped from those what weren’t bidding, and we didn’t touch more than twenty. There was over two hundred in that courtyard. It never does to pinch stuff from more than a few in one place.’
Fred put the last pile of coppers to one side. ‘Think how much we’ll make at the opening of the railway station and next year at the tunnel! There’ll be thousands of people, not hundreds, and all listening to the brass band and not taking notice of what we’re doing.’
‘Trouble is, it ain’t only going to be us there, is it, Ginger? There’ll be other gangs, and the place will be heaving with bobbies. I don’t reckon we should do it. Ain’t we made enough to last us a year or more?’ Jim looked at Alfie for support and he nodded.
The atmosphere in the attic changed. Four pairs of eyes glared at them. Jim’s suggestion was not popular. It was like turning against them. Hastily Alfie tried to distract their attention by flipping open the silver case and removing one of the cards. A flowing script announced the name and address of the man who’d carried it in his pocket.
He felt sick. This made it seem personal, having the name and address of someone they’d robbed. He snapped it shut and tossed it back on the pile. ‘The toffs give one of these in when they go visiting, but what they want to do that for I’ve no idea. I thought it would be bleedin’ obvious who was there; they’d not need to have it written on a bit of paper.’
The boys laughed and things were all right again. Nelson and Piper went out to buy milk and pastries for breakfast. It was a morning to treat themselves.
‘How much is there altogether? Alfie, have you totted it up yet?’
‘Hang on a minute, Fred, nearly done.’ Alfie licked the end of his pencil and continued his addition. ‘Blimey! There’s more than forty-eight pounds here. We divide that by six, that’s over eight quid each. Enough to live on for a couple of years.’
Ginger slapped him on the back. ‘And that ain’t counting this other stuff. I know we can’t get rid of it yet, but there’s another pony here at least.’
Alfie viewed the silverware with distaste. He needed the cash to set himself up in a legitimate business, but he didn’t want any part of the other stuff. ‘I’ll take my share of the cash, but you lot can have everything from the sale of the goods. You did all the work; you should get more than me.’
No one argued. They could see the logic behind his suggestion. Nelson and Piper clattered back, faces scarlet from the exercise. ‘Come on then, make the tea, you lazy bleeders. We brought back a real feast here. And we can order a load of coal and get a few luxuries for these rooms. I shan’t mind holing up in here for a week or two, I can tell you.’
Buster polished off what they couldn’t eat, then sprawled as contented as the rest of them in front of the fire. It seemed the right time for Alfie to announce his intentions. ‘I’m going to set meself up with a handcart. I was watching at the auction. A lot of them what bought things would’ve needed someone with a cart to transport it to their homes. I reckon I could make a good living doing that.’
Ginger stared at him as if he was daft. ‘What, graft for your living like what everyone else does?’
Alfie grinned. ‘Yes, but I’ll be working for meself. I could have a decent business in a few years, get myself a property with a yard, maybe a nag or two and a few boys working for me.’ The others weren’t impressed by his enthusiasm. He wasn’t going to give up. If he could persuade them to join him he’d still have his friends, not be on his own. ‘Remember, I can read. I’ll study the papers and turn up at any auctions and sales. It’ll be hard work, but I’d rather earn me keep honestly. I said when I joined you I weren’t too keen on thieving.’
Ginger scowled. ‘Well, he won’t be wanting his share then, will he, boys?’
Buster, who’d been lying dozing by the fire, pricked his ears and his low growl reverberated around the attic. Ginger sat back, attempting to look friendly, but his eyes were still narrowed, his nose pinched.
‘All right, Buster, only a joke. Reckon it’s time you got off, Alfie. You don’t want to be seen hanging around with us criminals.’
He was no longer part of the gang. He’d survive by hard work in future, not by stealing. He stood up and nodded to reach of the boys in turn. ‘It’s been nice knowing you, and good luck. I don’t expect we’ll meet again, not unless you’re working the same place I am.’
Nelson scrambled to his feet. ‘You don’t have to go, Alfie, you’re one of us. You might not make sense but you’d never peach on us, would you?’
‘Definitely not, but Ginger’s right, it’s time I moved on. Mind you, if any of you want to go legitimate, you’ve got enough to set yourself up, learn to live like a respectable citizen.’
‘I’m all for it,’ Jim said, his voice loud in the silence. ‘I’ve had enough of this life, wondering if I’m going to be nicked every time I go out, waiting to be dragged off to jail to be transported or even worse. I’m with you, Alfie. Can we go into partnership?’
Jim reached into the kitty and carefully removed his eight pounds, tied it in one of the stolen handkerchiefs and pushed it into his waistcoat pocket. The air was heavy with menace. If Buster hadn’t been at his side they would have attacked him. Alfie was pleased Jim had decided to join him. Of all the boys he was the one he’d taken to. With two of them working there was more likelihood of success. They could have one big barrow, and two small. Working together to shift heavy items and separately for small deliveries. Jim edged him towards the door.
‘I’m sorry it had to end like this, but we’ve all got enough to live on, so no complaints, certainly not from me,’ Alfie said as he reached the exit.
Ginger stood, the remaining members of his group around him, his voice a low snarl. ‘You two had better watch your backs. One dark night you’ll get what’s coming to you, you mark my words. Those what turn against their own kind always come to a bad end.’
The dog was snarling, his hackles up. Alfie knew with the slightest encouragement he would tear the throats out of any of the boys who had once been his friends. How quickly they had become enemies, comradeship turned to hate.
He took the steps two at a time, ignoring the shouts of protest from two ladies trying to negotiate the twisting stairs while carrying brimming pails. He and Jim shot through the hallway, down the steps and onto the pathway.
‘You sure about this, Jim? You could go back up now and apologise. I reckon they’d be prepared to take you back. I ain’t promising we’ll be wealthy, but I’ll look out for you and so will Buster if you stick by me.’
‘I took to you as soon as I saw you, Alfie. I’d rather spend me time pushing a barrow, earning an honest tanner than thieve for me living.’
‘You can’t say fairer than that. We’re partners now. You can come back to my drum. I’ll have a word with me landlady, see if you can move in with me permanent. If we offer her a bit more, I reckon she’ll be happy enough, especially if we purchase another bed and a couple of blankets.’
* * *
Two days later Alfie had found two small handcarts and one large. Jim and he had pooled their money and even after this expense there was still plenty to keep them going for months.
‘Both these need a lick of paint and a bit of hard work, Jim. What you like with a paintbrush?’
‘I ain’t never tried. I’ll do the big bits and leave the fancy work for you. Crikey, it ain’t half hot out here. I’d be boiled to death if it weren’t for the shade from the building.’
‘Stop moaning. Remember we’ve to look prosperous, not like we’re going to run off with the goods we’re carrying. That’s why I want to write our names on the sides. Folks will feel more comfortable knowing they can find us again.’
Mrs Hunter had been amenable to Jim moving in with him and also agreed he could keep his three old carts stored in the backyard as long as they were in nobody’s way. By stacking the two small on top of the larger one, they tucked away neatly by the coal shed. The landlady had sold them a bed, mattress and blankets. He’d bought a moth-eaten rug to cover the bare boards, and a thick curtain that he’d nailed over the window, which he hooked back with a bit of string during the day.
His new enterprise attracted considerable attention from the other occupants of the terrace. Several residents came out to admire his handiwork.
‘You going into business then, Alfie? Them’s good carts you got there. When you’re done painting your name on the side, you’ll be getting plenty of work, I reckon,’ George Benson, who lived above him, said approvingly. ‘You need a hand with a bit of carpentry, that’s my trade.’
‘Thank you, the wheels on this one are a bit rickety. I ain’t got the tools, nor the know-how to fix it. How much will you charge to do it for us?’
‘I’ll do it for nothing, if you let us have a lend of your barrow occasionally. Sometimes I get the opportunity to pick up a few off-cuts cheap. It’ll be right handy having the use of your cart.’
‘You’ve got a deal. What do you do with them bits of wood?’
‘Mostly for the fire, but sometimes there’s enough to knock up some shelves or a table. I sells them to folks around here.’ George promised to bring his tools the next day.
‘I reckon we’ve done enough for today, Jim. I can finish tomorrow, and then we can start asking around for business. There’s a market being held in Finsbury tomorrow. Do you reckon that would be a good place to start?’
Jim wasn’t sure. ‘I reckon we should try further west, Alfie. Remember it’s not just Silas we’ve got to keep away from, but Ginger and the others. If they catch us on our own we’ll be done for.’
‘As long as we steer clear of Bishopsgate, we’ll be all right. We’ll stick together, at least at first. Buster will keep us safe. We’ll try the local shops as well. There might be orders to deliver.’ He ran his finger down the freshly painted green handles. ‘I never thought I would be keen to work in all weathers, but I’m right eager to start the business.’
After supper he took their chairs outside. It was cooler in the yard and they were joined by George Benson from upstairs. ‘I was thinking, Alfie, how’d you like to learn a bit of carpentry in exchange for helping me out?’
‘I reckon I’d like that. Then you can borrow the barrow for free. What do you say, Jim? It would be right handy being able to do a bit of woodwork.’
‘I ain’t interested – two left hands, that’s what I got. I’ll stick to delivering. You’re a clever cove – let him learn you his trade.’ He took a swig from his mug and smacked his lips. ‘I never thought I’d ever be living like this. In a few years I might even be a prosperous kind of gent. I tell you what, Alfie, this beats thieving any day.’