Night Watches | Page 9

a king. Even when the pipe wouldn't draw I didn't mind.
"'May I write a letter?' she ses, at last.
"'Sartainly,' I ses.
"She got out her pen and ink and paper, and wrote. 'I sha'n't be long,'
she ses, looking up and nibbling 'er pen. 'It's a letter to my dressmaker;
she promised my dress by six o'clock this afternoon, and I am just
writing to tell her that if I don't have it by ten in the morning she can
keep it.'
"'Quite right,' I ses; 'it's the on'y way to get things done.'
"'It's my way,' she ses, sticking the letter in an envelope and licking it
down. 'Nice name, isn't it?'
"She passed it over to me, and I read the name and address: 'Miss
Minnie Miller, 17, John Street, Mile End Road.'
"'That'll wake her up,' She ses, smiling. 'Will you ask Joe to take it for
me?'
"'He--he's on guard,' I ses, smiling back at 'er and shaking my 'ead.
"'I know,' she ses, in a low voice. 'But I don't want any guard--only you.
I don't like guards that peep down skylights.'
"I looked up just in time to see Joe's 'ead disappear. Then I nipped up,
and arter I 'ad told 'im part of wot I thought about 'im I gave 'im the
letter and told 'im to sheer off.
"'The skipper told me to stay 'ere,' he ses, looking obstinate.
"'You do as you're told,' I ses. 'I'm in charge, and I take full
responsibility. I shall lock the gate arter you. Wot are you worrying
about?'

"'And here's a shilling, Joe, for a bus fare,' ses the gal, smiling. 'You
can keep the change.'
"Joe took off 'is cap and scratched 'is silly bald 'ead.
"'Come on,' I ses; 'it's a letter to a dressmaker. A letter that must go
to-night.'
"'Else it's no use,' ses the gal. 'You don't know 'ow important it is.'
"'All right,' ses Joe. ''Ave it your own way. So long as you don't tell the
skipper I don't mind. If anything 'appens you'll catch it too, Bill.'
"He climbed ashore, and I follered 'im to the gate and unlocked it. He
was screwing up 'is eye ready for a wink, but I give 'im such a look that
he thought better of it, and, arter rubbing his eye with 'is finger as
though he 'ad got a bit o' dust in it, he went off.
"I locked the gate and went back to the cabin, and for some time we sat
talking about fathers and the foolish ideas they got into their 'eads, and
things o' that sort. So far as I remember, I 'ad two more goes o' whisky
and one o' the skipper's cigars, and I was just thinking wot a beautiful
thing it was to be alive and 'ealthy and in good spirits, talking to a nice
gal that understood wot you said a'most afore you said it, when I 'eard
three blows on a whistle.
"'Wot's that?' I ses, starting up. 'Police whistle?'
"'I don't think so,' ses Miss Butt, putting her 'and on my shoulder. 'Sit
down and stay where you are. I don't want you to get hurt, if it is. Let
somebody I don't like go.'
"I sat down agin and listened, but there was no more whistling.
"'Boy in the street, I expect,' ses the gal, going into the state-room. 'Oh,
I've got something to show you. Wait a minute.'
"I 'eard her moving about, and then she comes back into the cabin.

"'I can't find the key of my box,' she ses, 'and it's in there. I wonder
whether you've got a key that would open it. It's a padlock.'
"I put my 'and in my pocket and pulled out my keys. 'Shall I come and
try?' I ses.
"'No, thank you,' she ses, taking the keys. 'This looks about the size.
What key is it?'
"'It's the key of the gate,' I ses, 'but I don't suppose it'll fit.'
"She went back into the state-room agin, and I 'eard her fumbling at a
lock. Then she came back into the cabin, breathing rather hard, and
stood thinking.
"'I've just remembered,' she ses, pinching her chin. 'Yes!'
"She stepped to the door and went up the companion-ladder, and the
next moment I 'eard a sliding noise and a key turn in a lock. I jumped to
the foot of the ladder and, 'ardly able to believe my senses, saw that the
hatch was closed. When I found that it was locked too, you might ha'
knocked me down with a feather.
"I went down to the cabin agin, and, standing on the locker, pushed the
skylight up with my 'ead and tried to lookout. I couldn't see