Ginger Dick was so quiet and satisfied about the fight that old Sam and Peter couldn’t make ‘im out at all. He wouldn’t even practise punching at a bolster that Peter rigged up for ‘im, and when ‘e got a message from Bill Lumm naming a quiet place on the Lea Marshes he agreed to it as comfortable as possible.
“Well, I must say, Ginger, that I like your pluck,” ses Peter Russet.
“I always ‘ave said that for Ginger; ‘e’s got pluck,” ses Sam.
Ginger coughed and tried to smile at ’em in a superior sort o’ way. “I thought you’d got more sense,” he ses, at last. “You don’t think I’m going, do you?”
“Wot?” ses old Sam, in a shocked voice.
“You’re never going to back out of it, Ginger?” ses Peter.
“I am,” ses Ginger. “If you think I’m going to be smashed up by a prize-fighter just to show my pluck you’re mistook.”
“You must go, Ginger,” ses old Sam, very severe. “It’s too late to back out of it now. Think of the gal. Think of ‘er feelings.”
“For the sake of your good name,” ses Peter.
“I should never speak to you agin, Ginger,” ses old Sam, pursing up ‘is lips.
“Nor me neither,” ses Peter Russet.
“To think of our Ginger being called a coward,” ses old Sam, with a shudder, “and afore a gal, too.”
“The loveliest gal in Wapping,” ses Peter.
“Look ‘ere,” ses Ginger, “you can shut up, both of you. I’m not going, and that’s the long and short of it. I don’t mind an ordinary man, but I draw the line at prize-fighters.”
Old Sam sat down on the edge of ‘is bed and looked the picture of despair. “You must go, Ginger,” he ses, “for my sake.”
“Your sake?” ses Ginger, staring.
“I’ve got money on it,” ses Sam, “so’s Peter. If you don’t turn up all bets’ll be off.”
“Good job for you, too,” ses Ginger. “If I did turn up you’d lose it, to a dead certainty.”
Old Sam coughed and looked at Peter, and Peter ‘e coughed and looked at Sam.
“You don’t understand, Ginger,” said Sam, in a soft voice; “it ain’t often a chap gets the chance o’ making a bit o’ money these ‘ard times.”
“So we’ve put all our money on Bill Lumm,” ses Peter. “It’s the safest and easiest way o’ making money I ever ‘eard of. You see, we know you’re not a prize-fighter and the others don’t.”
Pore Ginger looked at ’em, and then ‘e called ’em all the names he could lay ‘is tongue to, but, with the idea o’ the money they was going make, they didn’t mind a bit. They let him ‘ave ‘is say, and that night they brought ‘ome two other sailormen wot ‘ad bet agin Ginger to share their room, and, though they ‘ad bet agin ‘im, they was so fond of ‘im that it was evident that they wasn’t going to leave ‘im till the fight was over.
Ginger gave up then, and at twelve o’clock next day they started off to find the place. Mr. Webson, the landlord of the Jolly Pilots, a short, fat man o’ fifty, wot ‘ad spoke to Ginger once or twice, went with ’em, and all the way to the station he kept saying wot a jolly spot it was for that sort o’ thing. Perfickly private; nice soft green grass to be knocked down on, and larks up in the air singing away as if they’d never leave off.
They took the train to Homerton, and, being a slack time o’ the day, the porters was surprised to see wot a lot o’ people was travelling by it. So was Ginger. There was the landlords of ‘arf the public-’ouses in Wapping, all smoking big cigars; two dock policemen in plain clothes, wot ‘ad got the arternoon off — one with a raging toothache and the other with a baby wot wasn’t expected to last the day out. They was as full o’ fun as kittens, and the landlord o’ the Jolly Pilots pointed out to Ginger wot reasonable ‘uman beings policemen was at ‘art. Besides them there was quite a lot o’ sailormen, even skippers and mates, nearly all of ’em smoking big cigars, too, and looking at Ginger out of the corner of one eye and at the Wapping Basher out of the corner of the other.
“Hit ‘ard and hit straight,” ses the landlord to Ginger in a low voice, as they got out of the train and walked up the road. “‘Ow are you feeling?”
“I’ve got a cold coming on,” ses pore Ginger, looking at the Basher, who was on in front, “and a splitting ‘eadache, and a sharp pain all down my left leg. I don’t think — —”
“Well, it’s a good job it’s no worse,” ses the land-lord; “all you’ve got to do is to hit ‘ard. If you win it’s a ‘undered pounds in my pocket, and I’ll stand you a fiver of it. D’ye understand?”
They turned down some little streets, several of ’em going diff’rent ways, and arter crossing the River Lea got on to the marshes, and, as the landlord said, the place might ha’ been made for it.
A little chap from Mile End was the referee, and Bill Lumm, ‘aving peeled, stood looking on while Ginger took ‘is things off and slowly and carefully folded ’em up. Then they stepped toward each other, Bill taking longer steps than Ginger, and shook ‘ands; immediately arter which Bill knocked Ginger head over ‘eels.
“Time!” was called, and the landlord o’ the Jolly Pilots, who was nursing Ginger on ‘is knee, said that it was nothing at all, and that bleeding at the nose was a sign of ‘ealth. But as it happened Ginger was that mad ‘e didn’t want any encouragement, he on’y wanted to kill Bill Lumm.
He got two or three taps in the next round which made his ‘ead ring, and then he got ‘ome on the mark and follered it up by a left-’anded punch on Bill’s jaw that surprised ’em both — Bill because he didn’t think Ginger could hit so ‘ard, and Ginger because ‘e didn’t think that prize-fighters ‘ad any feelings.
They clinched and fell that round, and the land-lord patted Ginger on the back and said that if he ever ‘ad a son he ‘oped he’d grow up like ‘im.
Ginger was surprised at the way ‘e was getting on, and so was old Sam and Peter Russet, and when Ginger knocked Bill down in the sixth round Sam went as pale as death. Ginger was getting marked all over, but he stuck, to ‘is man, and the two dock policemen, wot ‘ad put their money on Bill Lumm, began to talk of their dooty, and say as ‘ow the fight ought to be stopped.
At the tenth round Bill couldn’t see out of ‘is eyes, and kept wasting ‘is strength on the empty air, and once on the referee. Ginger watched ‘is opportunity, and at last, with a terrific smash on the point o’ Bill’s jaw, knocked ‘im down and then looked round for the landlord’s knee.
Bill made a game try to get up when “Time!” was called, but couldn’t; and the referee, who was ‘olding a ‘andkerchief to ‘is nose, gave the fight to Ginger.
It was the proudest moment o’ Ginger Dick’s life. He sat there like a king, smiling ‘orribly, and Sam’s voice as he paid ‘is losings sounded to ‘im like music, in spite o’ the words the old man see fit to use. It was so ‘ard to get Peter Russet’s money that it a’most looked as though there was going to be another prize-fight, but ‘e paid up at last and went off, arter fust telling Ginger part of wot he thought of ‘im.
There was a lot o’ quarrelling, but the bets was all settled at last, and the landlord o’ the Jolly Pilots, who was in ‘igh feather with the money he’d won, gave Ginger the five pounds he’d promised and took him ‘ome in a cab.
“You done well, my lad,” he ses. “No, don’t smile. It looks as though your ‘ead’s coming off.”
“I ‘ope you’ll tell Miss Tucker ‘ow I fought,” ses Ginger.
“I will, my lad,” ses the landlord; “but you’d better not see ‘er for some time, for both your sakes.”
“I was thinking of ‘aving a day or two in bed,” ses Ginger.
“Best thing you can do,” ses the landlord; “and mind, don’t you ever fight Bill Lumm agin. Keep out of ‘is way.”
“Why? I beat ‘im once, an’ I can beat ‘im agin,” ses Ginger, offended.
“Beat ‘im?” ses the landlord. He took ‘is cigar out of ‘is mouth as t
hough ‘e was going to speak, and then put it back agin and looked out of the window.
“Yes, beat ‘im,” ses Ginger’. “You was there and saw it.”
“He lost the fight a-purpose,” ses the landlord, whispering. “Miss Tucker found out that you wasn’t a prize-fighter — leastways, I did for ‘er — and she told Bill that, if ‘e loved ‘er so much that he’d ‘ave ‘is sinful pride took down by letting you beat ‘im, she’d think diff’rent of ‘im. Why, ‘e could ‘ave settled you in a minute if he’d liked. He was on’y playing with you.”
Ginger stared at ‘im as if ‘e couldn’t believe ‘is eyes. “Playing?” he ses, feeling ‘is face very gently with the tips of his fingers.
“Yes,” ses the landlord; “and if he ever hits you agin you’ll know I’m speaking the truth.”
Ginger sat back all of a heap and tried to think. “Is Miss Tucker going to keep company with ‘im agin, then?” he ses, in a faint voice.
“No,” ses the landlord; “you can make your mind easy on that point.”
“Well, then, if I walk out with ‘er I shall ‘ave to fight Bill all over agin,” ses Ginger.
The landlord turned to ‘im and patted ‘im on the shoulder. “Don’t you take up your troubles afore they come, my lad,” he ses, kindly; “and mind and keep wot I’ve told you dark, for all our sakes.”
He put ‘im down at the door of ‘is lodgings and, arter shaking ‘ands with ‘im, gave the landlady a shilling and told ‘er to get some beefsteak and put on ‘is face, and went home. Ginger went straight off to bed, and the way he carried on when the landlady fried the steak afore bringing it up showed ‘ow upset he was.
It was over a week afore he felt ‘e could risk letting Miss Tucker see ‘im, and then at seven o’clock one evening he felt ‘e couldn’t wait any longer, and arter spending an hour cleaning ‘imself he started out for the Jolly Pilots.
He felt so ‘appy at the idea o’ seeing her agin that ‘e forgot all about Bill Lumm, and it gave ‘im quite a shock when ‘e saw ‘im standing outside the Pilots. Bill took his ‘ands out of ‘is pockets when he saw ‘im and came toward ‘im.
“It’s no good to-night, mate,” he ses; and to Ginger’s great surprise shook ‘ands with ‘im.
“No good?” ses Ginger, staring.
“No,” ses Bill; “he’s in the little back-parlour, like a whelk in ‘is shell; but we’ll ‘ave ‘im sooner or later.”
“Him? Who?” ses Ginger, more puzzled than ever.
“Who?” ses Bill; “why, Webson, the landlord. You don’t mean to tell me you ain’t heard about it?”
“Heard wot?” ses Ginger. “I haven’t ‘card any-thing. I’ve been indoors with a bad cold all the week.”
“Webson and Julia Tucker was married at eleven o’clock yesterday morning,” ses Bill Lumm, in a hoarse voice. “When I think of the way I’ve been done, and wot I’ve suffered, I feel ‘arf crazy. He won a ‘undered pounds through me, and then got the gal I let myself be disgraced for. I ‘ad an idea some time ago that he’d got ‘is eye on her.”
Ginger Dick didn’t answer ‘im a word. He staggered back and braced ‘imself up agin the wall for a bit, and arter staring at Bill Lumm in a wild way for pretty near three minutes he crawled back to ‘is lodgings and went straight to bed agin.
ODD CHARGES
Seated at his ease in the warm tap-room of the Cauliflower, the stranger had been eating and drinking for some time, apparently unconscious of the presence of the withered ancient who, huddled up in that corner of the settle which was nearer to the fire, fidgeted restlessly with an empty mug and blew with pathetic insistence through a churchwarden pipe which had long been cold. The stranger finished his meal with a sigh of content and then, rising from his chair, crossed over to the settle and, placing his mug on the time-worn table before him, began to fill his pipe.
The old man took a spill from the table and, holding it with trembling fingers to the blaze, gave him a light. The other thanked him, and then, leaning back in his corner of the settle, watched the smoke of his pipe through half-closed eyes, and assented drowsily to the old man’s remarks upon the weather.
“Bad time o’ the year for going about,” said the latter, “though I s’pose if you can eat and drink as much as you want it don’t matter. I s’pose you mightn’t be a conjurer from London, sir?”
The traveller shook his head.
“I was ‘oping you might be,” said the old man. The other manifested no curiosity.
“If you ‘ad been,” said the old man, with a sigh, “I should ha’ asked you to ha’ done something useful. Gin’rally speaking, conjurers do things that are no use to anyone; wot I should like to see a conjurer do would be to make this ‘ere empty mug full o’ beer and this empty pipe full o’ shag tobacco. That’s wot I should ha’ made bold to ask you to do if you’d been one.”
The traveller sighed, and, taking his short briar pipe from his mouth by the bowl, rapped three times upon the table with it. In a very short time a mug of ale and a paper cylinder of shag appeared on the table before the old man.
“Wot put me in mind o’ your being a conjurer,” said the latter, filling his pipe after a satisfying draught from the mug, “is that you’re uncommon like one that come to Claybury some time back and give a performance in this very room where we’re now a-sitting. So far as looks go, you might be his brother.”
The traveller said that he never had a brother.
We didn’t know ‘e was a conjurer at fust, said the old man. He ‘ad come down for Wickham Fair and, being a day or two before ‘and, ‘e was going to different villages round about to give performances. He came into the bar ‘ere and ordered a mug o’ beer, and while ‘e was a-drinking of it stood talking about the weather. Then ‘e asked Bill Chambers to excuse ‘im for taking the liberty, and, putting his ‘and to Bill’s mug, took out a live frog. Bill was a very partikler man about wot ‘e drunk, and I thought he’d ha’ had a fit. He went on at Smith, the landlord, something shocking, and at last, for the sake o’ peace and quietness, Smith gave ‘im another pint to make up for it.
“It must ha’ been asleep in the mug,” he ses.
Bill said that ‘e thought ‘e knew who must ha’ been asleep, and was just going to take a drink, when the conjurer asked ‘im to excuse ‘im agin. Bill put down the mug in a ‘urry, and the conjurer put his ‘and to the mug and took out a dead mouse. It would ha’ been a ‘ard thing to say which was the most upset, Bill Chambers or Smith, the landlord, and Bill, who was in a terrible state, asked why it was everything seemed to get into his mug.
“P’r’aps you’re fond o’ dumb animals, sir,” ses the conjurer. “Do you ‘appen to notice your coat-pocket is all of a wriggle?”
He put his ‘and to Bill’s pocket and took out a little green snake; then he put his ‘and to Bill’s trouser-pocket and took out a frog, while pore Bill’s eyes looked as if they was corning out o’ their sockets.
“Keep still,” ses the conjurer; “there’s a lot more to come yet.”
Bill Chambers gave a ‘owl that was dreadful to listen to, and then ‘e pushed the conjurer away and started undressing ‘imself as fast as he could move ‘is fingers. I believe he’d ha’ taken off ‘is shirt if it ‘ad ‘ad pockets in it, and then ‘e stuck ‘is feet close together and ‘e kept jumping into the air, and coming down on to ‘is own clothes in his hobnailed boots.
“He ain’t fond o’ dumb animals, then,” ses the conjurer. Then he put his ‘and on his ‘art and bowed.
“Gentlemen all,” he ses. “‘Aving given you this specimen of wot I can do, I beg to give notice that with the landlord’s kind permission I shall give my celebrated conjuring entertainment in the tap-room this evening at seven o’clock; ad — mission, three-pence each.”
They didn’t understand ‘im at fust, but at last they see wot ‘e meant, and arter explaining to Bill, who was still giving little jumps, they led ‘im up into a corner and coaxed ‘im into dressing ‘imself a
gin. He wanted to fight the conjurer, but ‘e was that tired ‘e could scarcely stand, and by-and-by Smith, who ‘ad said ‘e wouldn’t ‘ave anything to do with it, gave way and said he’d risk it.
The tap-room was crowded that night, but we all ‘ad to pay threepence each — coining money, I call it. Some o’ the things wot he done was very clever, but a’most from the fust start-off there was unpleasantness. When he asked somebody to lend ‘im a pocket-’andkercher to turn into a white rabbit, Henery Walker rushed up and lent ‘im ‘is, but instead of a white rabbit it turned into a black one with two white spots on it, and arter Henery Walker ‘ad sat for some time puzzling over it ‘e got up and went off ‘ome without saying good-night to a soul.
Then the conjurer borrowed Sam Jones’s hat, and arter looking into it for some time ‘e was that surprised and astonished that Sam Jones lost ‘is temper and asked ‘im whether he ‘adn’t seen a hat afore.
“Not like this,” ses the conjurer. And ‘e pulled out a woman’s dress and jacket and a pair o’ boots. Then ‘e took out a pound or two o’ taters and some crusts o’ bread and other things, and at last ‘e gave it back to Sam Jones and shook ‘is head at ‘im, and told ‘im if he wasn’t very careful he’d spoil the shape of it.
Then ‘e asked somebody to lend ‘im a watch, and, arter he ‘ad promised to take the greatest care of it, Dicky Weed, the tailor, lent ‘im a gold watch wot ‘ad been left ‘im by ‘is great-aunt when she died. Dicky Weed thought a great deal o’ that watch, and when the conjurer took a flat-iron and began to smash it up into little bits it took three men to hold ‘im down in ‘is seat.
“This is the most difficult trick o’ the lot,” ses the conjurer, picking off a wheel wot ‘ad stuck to the flat-iron. “Sometimes I can do it and sometimes I can’t. Last time I tried it it was a failure, and it cost me eighteenpence and a pint o’ beer afore the gentleman the watch ‘ad belonged to was satisfied. I gave ‘im the bits, too.”
Works of W. W. Jacobs Page 193
