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'Where's a police officer officer?' said Mr Snodgrass.
'Put them under the street pump and get them soaking wet,' suggested a man selling hot pies.
'You shall be punished for this!' shouted Mr Pickwick.'
'Spies!' shouted the crowd.
'Come on, I can fight you all!' shouted the cab driver, who had been boxing away at the air without stopping for the whole time.
Until now the people in the crowd had been watching quietly. But now the idea that Mr Pickwick and his friends were government spies began to spread. People began to have arguements among themselves about whether they really should soak Mr Pickwick and his friends under the pump. No-one can say if the crowd might have hurt the Pickwickians, because the fight was suddenly brought to an end when someone new unexpectedly arrived on the scene.
'What's the fun?' said a rather tall, thin young man, in a green coat, who came suddenly out of the yard where the coach stopped.
'Spies!' shouted the crowd again.