by W. W. Jacobs
ses, getting a bit out o' temper, 'that your boy has runaway to go to sea, and I've come to take you to 'im.'
"He seemed so upset that I thought 'e was going to 'ave a fit at fust,and it seemed only natural, too. Then I see that the best-looking girland another was having a fit, although trying 'ard not to.
"'If you don't get out o' my shop,' he ses at last, 'I'll 'ave you lockedup.'
"'Very good!' I ses, in a quiet way. 'Very good; but, mark my words,if he's drownded you'll never forgive yourself as long as you live forletting your temper get the better of you--you'll never know a goodnight's rest agin. Besides, wot about 'is mother?'
"One o' them silly gals went off agin just like a damp firework, and Mr.Watson, arter nearly choking 'imself with temper, shoved me out o' theway and marched out o' the shop. I didn't know wot to make of 'im atfust, and then one o' the gals told me that 'e was a bachelor and 'adn'tgot no son, and that somebody 'ad been taking advantage of what shecalled my innercence to pull my leg.
"'You toddle off 'ome,' she ses, 'before Mr. Watson comes back.'
"'It's a shame to let 'im come out alone,' ses one o' the other gals.'Where do you live, gran'pa?'
"I see then that I 'ad been done, and I was just walking out o' the shop,pretending to be deaf, when Mr. Watson come back with a silly youngpoliceman wot asked me wot I meant by it. He told me to get off 'omequick, and actually put his 'and on my shoulder, but it 'ud take morethan a thing like that to push me, and, arter trying his 'ardest, hecould only rock me a bit.
"I went at last because I wanted to see that boy agin, and the youngpoliceman follered me quite a long way, shaking his silly 'ead at me andtelling me to be careful.
"I got a ride part o' the way from Commercial Road to Aldgate by gettingon the wrong bus, but it wasn't much good, and I was quite tired by thetime I got back to the wharf. I waited outside for a minute or two toget my wind back agin, and then I went in-boiling.
"You might ha' knocked me down with a feather, as the saying is, and Ijust stood inside the office speechless. The boy 'ad disappeared andsitting on the floor where I 'ad left 'im was a very nice-looking gal ofabout eighteen, with short 'air, and a white blouse.
"'Good evening, sir,' she ses, jumping up and giving me a pretty littlefrightened look. 'I'm so sorry that my brother has been deceiving you.He's a bad, wicked, ungrateful boy. The idea of telling you that Mr.Watson was 'is father! Have you been there? I do 'ope you're nottired.'
"'Where is he?' I ses.
"'He's gorn,' she ses, shaking her 'ead. 'I begged and prayed of 'im tostop, but 'e wouldn't. He said 'e thought you might be offended with'im. "Give my love to old Roley-Poley, and tell him I don't trust 'im,"he ses.'
"She stood there looking so scared that I didn't know wot to say. By andby she took out 'er little pocket-'ankercher and began to cry--
"'Oh, get 'im back,' she ses. 'Don't let it be said I follered 'im 'ereall the way for nothing. Have another try. For my sake!'
"''Ow can I get 'im back when I don't know where he's gorn?' I ses.
"'He-he's gorn to 'is godfather,' she ses, dabbing her eyes. 'I promised'im not to tell anybody; but I don't know wot to do for the best.'
"'Well, p'r'aps his godfather will 'old on to 'im,' I ses.
"'He won't tell 'im anything about going to sea,' she ses, shaking 'erlittle head. 'He's just gorn to try and bo--bo-borrow some money to goaway with.'
"She bust out sobbing, and it was all I could do to get the godfather'saddress out of 'er. When I think of the trouble I took to get it I comeover quite faint. At last she told me, between 'er sobs, that 'is namewas Mr. Kiddem, and that he lived at 27, Bridge Street.
"'He's one o' the kindest-'arted and most generous men that ever lived,'she ses; 'that's why my brother Harry 'as gone to 'im. And you needn'tmind taking anything 'e likes to give you; he's rolling in money.'
"I took it a bit easier going to Bridge Street, but the evening seemed'otter than ever, and by the time I got to the 'ouse I was pretty neardone up. A nice, tidy-looking woman opened the door, but she was a' moststone deaf, and I 'ad to shout the name pretty near a dozen times aforeshe 'eard it.
"'He don't live 'ere,' she ses.
"''As he moved?' I ses. 'Or wot?'
"She shook her 'cad, and, arter telling me to wait, went in and fetchedher 'usband.
"'Never 'eard of him,' he ses, 'and we've been 'ere seventeen years. Areyou sure it was twenty-seven?'
"'Sartain,' I ses.
"'Well, he don't live 'ere,' he ses. 'Why not try thirty-seven andforty-seven?'
"I tried'em: thirty-seven was empty, and a pasty-faced chap at forty-seven nearly made 'imself ill over the name of 'Kiddem.' It 'adn'tstruck me before, but it's a hard matter to deceive me, and all in aflash it come over me that I 'ad been done agin, and that the gal was asbad as 'er brother.
"I was so done up I could 'ardly crawl back, and my 'ead was all in amaze. Three or four times I stopped and tried to think, but couldn't,but at last I got back and dragged myself into the office.
"As I 'arf expected, it was empty. There was no sign of either the galor the boy; and I dropped into a chair and tried to think wot it allmeant. Then, 'appening to look out of the winder, I see somebody runningup and down the jetty.
"I couldn't see plain owing to the things in the way, but as soon as Igot outside and saw who it was I nearly dropped. It was the boy, and hewas running up and down wringing his 'ands and crying like a wild thing,and, instead o' running away as soon as 'e saw me, he rushed right up tome and threw 'is grubby little paws round my neck.
"'Save her!' 'e ses. 'Save 'er! Help! Help!'
"'Look 'ere,' I ses, shoving 'im off.
"'She fell overboard,' he ses, dancing about. 'Oh, my pore sister!Quick! Quick! I can't swim!'
"He ran to the side and pointed at the water, which was just about at'arf-tide. Then 'e caught 'old of me agin.
"'Make 'aste,' he ses, giving me a shove behind. 'Jump in. Wot are youwaiting for?'
"I stood there for a moment 'arf dazed, looking down at the water. ThenI pulled down a life-belt from the wall 'ere and threw it in, and, arteranother moment's thought, ran back to the Lizzie and Annie, wot was inthe inside berth, and gave them a hail. I've always 'ad a good voice,and in a flash the skipper and Ted Sawyer came tumbling up out of thecabin and the 'ands out of the fo'c'sle.
"'Gal overboard!' I ses, shouting.
"The skipper just asked where, and then 'im and the mate and a couple of'ands tumbled into their boat and pulled under the jetty for all they wasworth. Me and the boy ran back and stood with the others, watching.
"'Point out the exact spot,' ses the skipper.
"The boy pointed, and the skipper stood up in the boat and felt roundwith a boat-hook. Twice 'e said he thought 'e touched something, but itturned out as 'e was mistaken. His face got longer and longer and 'eshook his 'ead, and said he was afraid it was no good.
"'Don't stand cryin' 'ere,' he ses to the boy, kindly. 'Jem, run roundfor the Thames police, and get them and the drags. Take the boy withyou. It'll occupy 'is mind.'
"He 'ad another go with the boat-hook arter they 'ad gone; then 'e gaveit up, and sat in the boat waiting.
"'This'll be a bad job for you, watchman,' he ses, shaking his 'ead.'Where was you when it 'appened?'
"'He's been missing all the evening,' ses the cook, wot was standingbeside me. 'If he'd been doing 'is dooty, the pore gal wouldn't 'avebeen drownded. Wot was she doing on the wharf?'
"'Skylarkin', I s'pose,' ses the mate. 'It's a wonder there ain't moredrownded. Wot can you expect when the watchman is sitting in a pub allthe evening?'
"The cook said I ought to
