The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | Page 2

least expects it. I don't pretend to understand much about the weather myself, sir, but I shouldn't wonder if it was to come on to blow 'ard. It ain't an uncommon thing at Ramsgate, sir."
The traveller, who was a man of few words, said "Humph!" to which the waiter dutifully replied "Yessir," feeling, no doubt, that the observation was too limited to warrant a lengthened rejoinder.
The waiter of the Fortress Hotel had a pleasant, sociable, expressive countenance, which beamed into a philanthropic smile as he added--
"Can I do anything for you, sir?"
"Yes--tea," answered the traveller with the keen grey eyes, turning, and poking the fire with the heel of his boot.
"Anything with it, sir?" asked the waiter with that charmingly confident air peculiar to his class, which induces one almost to believe that if a plate of elephant's foot or a slice of crocodile's tail were ordered it would be produced, hot, in a few minutes.
"D'you happen to know a man of the name of Jones in the town?" demanded the traveller, facing round abruptly.
The waiter replied that he had the pleasure of knowing at least seven Joneses in the town.
"Does one of the seven deal largely in cured fish and own a small sloop?" asked the traveller.
"Yessir, he do, but he don't live in Ramsgate; he belongs to Yarmouth, sir, comes 'ere only now and then."
"D'you know anything about him?"
"No, sir, he don't frequent this 'otel."
The waiter said this in a tone which showed that he deemed that fact sufficient to render Jones altogether unworthy of human interest; "but I believe," he added slowly, "that he is said to 'ave plenty of money, bears a bad character, and is rather fond of his bottle, sir."
"You know nothing more?"
"Nothing, sir."
"Ham and eggs, dry toast and shrimps," said the keen-eyed traveller in reply to the reiterated question.
Before these viands were placed on the table the brief twilight had passed away and darkness en-shrouded land and sea. After they had been consumed the traveller called for the latest local paper, to which he devoted himself for an hour with unflagging zeal--reading it straight through, apparently, advertisements and all, with as much diligence as if it were a part of his professional business to do so. Then he tossed it away, rang the bell, and ordered a candle.
"I suppose," he said, pointing towards the sea, as he was about to quit the room, "that that is the floating light?"
"It is one of 'em, sir," replied the waiter. "There are three lights on the sands, sir; the Northsan 'ead, the Gull-stream, and the Southsan 'ead. That one, sir, is the Gull."
"How far off may it be?"
"About four miles, sir."
"What is the mate's name?"
"Welton, sir, John Welton."
"Is he aboard just now?"
"Yessir, it's the master's month ashore. The master and mate 'ave it month an' month about, sir--one month afloat, next month ashore; but it seems to me, sir, that they have 'arder work w'en ashore than they 'ave w'en afloat--lookin' after the Trinity stores, sir, an' goin' off in the tender to shift and paint the buoys an' such like; but then you see, sir, w'en it's their turn ashore they always gits home to spend the nights with their families, sir, w'ich is a sort of compensation, as it were,--that's where it is, sir."
"Humph! d'you know what time it is slack water out there in the afternoon just now?"
"About three o'clock, sir."
"Call me at nine to-morrow; breakfast at half-past; beefsteaks, coffee, dry toast. Good-night."
"Yessir--good-night, sir--Number 27, sir, first floor, left-hand side."
Number 27 slammed his door with that degree of violence which indicates a stout arm and an easy conscience. In less than quarter of an hour the keen grey eyes were veiled in slumber, as was proved unmistakably to the household by the sounds that proceeded from the nose to which these eyes belonged.
It is not unfrequently found that strength of mind, vigour of body, high colour, and a tremendous appetite are associated with great capacity for snoring. The man with the keen grey eyes possessed all these qualities, as well as a large chin and a firm mouth, full of very strong white teeth. He also possessed the convenient power of ability to go to sleep at a moment's notice and to remain in that felicitous condition until he chose to awake. His order to be "called" in the morning had reference merely to hot water; for at the time of which we write men were still addicted to the ridiculous practice of shaving--a practice which, as every one knows, is now confined chiefly to very old men--who naturally find it difficult to give up the bad habit of a lifetime--and to little boys, who erroneously suppose that the use of a sharp penknife will hasten Nature's operations.
Exactly at nine o'clock, a knock