Night Watches | Page 8

for your own sake, don't let anything 'appen to that gal while
I'm away.'
"'Wot time'll you be back?' I ses, as 'e stepped through the wicket.
"'Not afore twelve, and p'r'aps a good bit later,' he ses, smiling all over
with 'appiness. 'But young slab-chest don't know I'm out, and Winnie
thinks I'm just going out for 'arf an hour, so it'll be all right. So long.'
"I watched 'im up the road, and I must say I began to wish I 'adn't taken
the job on. Arter all, I 'ad on'y had two pints and a bit o' flattery, and I
knew wot 'ud 'appen if anything went wrong. Built like a bull he was,
and fond o' using his strength. I locked the wicket careful, and, putting
the key in my pocket, began to walk up and down the wharf.

"For about ten minutes the gal went on reading and didn't look up once.
Then, as I passed, she gave me a nice smile and shook 'er little fist at
the cook, wot 'ad got 'is back towards 'er. I smiled back, o' course, and
by and by she put her book down and climbed on to the side o' the ship
and held out her 'and for me to 'elp her ashore.
"'I'm so tired of the ship,' she ses, in a soft voice; 'it's like a prison.
Don't you get, tired of the wharf?'
"'Sometimes,' I ses; 'but it's my dooty.'
"'Yes,' she ses. 'Yes, of course. But you're a big, strong man, and you
can put up with things better.'
"She gave a little sigh, and we walked up and down for a time without
saying anything.
"'And it's all father's foolishness,' she ses, at last; 'that's wot makes it so
tiresome. I can't help a pack of silly young men writing to me, can I?'
"'No, I s'pose not,' I ses.
"'Thank you,' she ses, putting 'er little 'and on my arm. 'I knew that you
were sensible. I've often watched you when I've been sitting alone on
the schooner, longing for somebody to speak to. And I'm a good judge
of character. I can read you like a book.'
"She turned and looked up at me. Beautiful blue eyes she'd got, with
long, curling lashes, and teeth like pearls.
"'Father is so silly,' she ses, shaking her 'ead and looking down; 'and it's
so unreasonable, because, as a matter of fact, I don't like young men.
Oh, I beg your pardon, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean to be rude.'
"'Rude?' I ses, staring at her.
"'Of course it was a rude thing for me to say,' she ses, smiling; 'because
you are still a young man yourself.'

"I shook my 'ead. 'Youngish,' I ses.
"'Young!' she ses, stamping 'er little foot.
"She gave me another look, and this time 'er blue eyes seemed large
and solemn. She walked along like one in a dream, and twice she
tripped over the planks and would 'ave fallen if I hadn't caught 'er round
the waist.
"'Thank you,' she ses. 'I'm very clumsy. How strong your arm is!'
"We walked up and down agin, and every time we went near the edge
of the jetty she 'eld on to my arm for fear of stumbling agin. And there
was that silly cook standing about on the schooner on tip-toe and
twisting his silly old neck till I wonder it didn't twist off.
"'Wot a beautiful evening it is!' she ses, at last, in a low voice. 'I 'ope
father isn't coming back early. Do you know wot time he is coming
home?'
"'About twelve,' I ses; 'but don't tell 'im I told you so.'
"'O' course not,' she ses, squeezing my arm. 'Poor father! I hope he is
enjoying himself as much as I am.'
"We walked down to the jetty agin arter that, and sat side by side
looking acrost the river. And she began to talk about Life, and wot a
strange thing it was; and 'ow the river would go on flowing down to the
sea thousands and thousands o' years arter we was both dead and
forgotten. If it hadn't ha' been for her little 'ead leaning agin my
shoulder I should have 'ad the creeps.
"'Let's go down into the cabin,' she ses, at last, with a little shiver; 'it
makes me melancholy sitting here and thinking of the "might-have-
beens."'
"I got up first and 'elped her up, and, arter both staring hard at the cook,
wot didn't seem to know 'is place, we went down into the cabin. It was

a comfortable little place, and arter she 'ad poured me out a glass of 'er
father's whisky, and filled my pipe for me, I wouldn't ha' changed
places with