"Well, not to-night. Jim wants to get away. I'll come some other
time."
The two sailors then left and made their way back to the docks, and as
they approached the East End a fog which had been hanging over became
so dense that they could not see where they were, and after groping
about for a couple of hours they ran against a house which had a light
in the window. Jim rapped at the door, and a man presented himself. He
was only partially clad. His voice and dialect left no doubt as to the
locality they were in.
"Wot yer doin' of 'ere this time o' night? 'Ave yer come to rob some
o' these yere 'ouses, or wot's yer gime?"
Mr. Leigh was a talkative person, and hastened to explain where they
were going, and that they could not find their way. The man asked the
two officers in, and presented them to a woman who sat by the fire
with a shawl over her shoulders. She was young, and seemed to be of
the gipsy type; tall, handsome features, jet black hair, sparkling
eyes and eyebrows; and when she asked them to be seated, her voice and
accent gave the impression of a lady. She chatted quite freely to the
sailors about their profession and the countries they had visited,
which led them to suppose that the lady was a great traveller. She,
however, told them that her knowledge was derived from books.
Shortlegs was mute. While the others talked he was closely
scrutinizing the surroundings. Their host was a tall, well-set man,
with shifty, evil-looking eyes that were kept busy, as was his tongue.
After they had been in the house some time, he asked them if they
wished to stay all night.
"We don't want ter press yer, but if yer like we've got a comfortable
room. But ye'll both 'ave to sleep in one bed."
"We don't mind that," said James Leigh. "Show us where it is."
They bade the lady good morning, as it was 2 a.m., and they were
escorted upstairs to a moderately-furnished room with an iron bed,
wooden washstand, wardrobe, two chairs, and canvased floor.
"Well, do you think it'll do?" asked the host.
"Yes," replied James, in a jaunty way. "We've slept in many a worse
place than this, Shorty, haven't we? See that we're called at six in
the morning, gov'nor."
"That's all right," said the shifty-eyed host; "we're early birds, we
are, in this 'ere 'ouse. We goes to bed early too. Wot'll ye 'ave for
breakfast?"
"Never mind breakfast; we'll get that when we get aboard," replied
Leigh. "Good-night; it's very good of you to put us up."
The host remarked that he was pleased to do a kindness to anybody, but
especially to sailors, and then he slid out of the room. Shortlegs
watched him downstairs, then closed the door. When he looked round his
second officer was half undressed. He whispered to him not to undress,
and that if he knew as much about bugs as he did he would need no
telling.
"Oh! d---- the bugs and everything else. I'm in for a good nap."
"Well," said Shortlegs, "you may do as you like, but I'm a-going to
keep my clothes on."
Jim, however, did not heed his companion's advice; he undressed,
jumped into bed, and was soon asleep. Shortlegs sat smoking his pipe
for a while, then rose and commenced a survey of the room. He looked
under the bed, into a cupboard, behind the curtains, and then sat down
and pondered over their strange experience. At last he pulled his
boots and coat off, and was preparing to get into bed, when it
occurred to him that he had not examined the wardrobe; so he jumped
up, opened the door, stood gazing at the inside, closed the door,
went to the bed, shook his mate into consciousness, and speaking in a
loud whisper, he said--
"Jim, for God's sake get up!"
"What for?" said Jim.
"Because there's a dead 'un in the wardrobe," replied Shortlegs.
"A what?" asked Mr. Leigh.
"A corpse," responded his companion.
"Go on, don't talk such rot!"
"Very well, look for yourself," said the boatswain, who again opened
the door, and exposed the dead body to view. James Leigh turned pallid
and almost inarticulate. He could only touch his friend on the
shoulder, and utter--
"My God, where are we? What shall we do with the corpse?"
Visions of being had up for murder had seized him. But he was quickly
pulled up by his more discreet shipmate, who told him to cease
speaking, allow the dead 'un to remain where he was, keep their boots
off, open the window quietly, see how far it was to drop or to lower
themselves down with the bedclothes. This being done, they found the
plan of escape impracticable without being "nabbed," so they took the
bold resolve of going out as they had come in, with their boots on.
Before they had got half-way down the stairs they heard suppressed
conversation. It was evident they were detected.
"Use your knuckle-duster, Jim, if necessary, and charge them with
murder," whispered Shortlegs.
"You leave that to me, Shorty; I'm going to get out of this."
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the room door, which was
ajar, opened, and the man who showed them upstairs stood before them.
He was in his sleeping clothes. They requested him to open the outer
door and let them out, as they did not desire to remain any longer in
the house. He asked why they were leaving comfortable lodgings on
such a night. Jim being the spokesman, said they didn't like sleeping
with corpses, and raising his voice with nervous courage, declared
that if the door was not immediately opened he would stand a good
chance of being put in the wardrobe where the other poor devil was.
The wretched bully, shivering with passion and sudden fear, made a
grab at Jim, and in an instant he was lying on the floor, and the two
sailors opened the door and stepped out into the cold fog.
"My God, what an experience!" said Shorty. "What a lucky thing I
looked in the wardrobe. We might have been given up to the police as
the murderers; and that lady, as we thought, what a demon she must be
to be connected with such."
"My dear fellow," said the second mate, "don't say anything wrong
against the lady. How do we know but she is a prisoner, or in some way
beholden to the rascal. What a strange thing she never appeared. I
wonder if she was there. She must have been, as we heard voices."
"That's right enough," said the boatswain; "but was it her voice?"
"I never thought of that, Shorty. What d'ye say if we go back and try
and learn more about this mysterious affair?"
"Not me," said Shorty; "I've had enough of this kind of experience."
"But," remonstrated the officer, "suppose the lady is in captivity?"
"Never mind that, boss. I don't care if there were twenty blessed
women in captivity. I'm not going back, because I thinks the lady is
in the swim."
"Nonsense, Shorts. She is an educated woman!"
"Yes; and I've heard, boss, of educated women doin' funny things. How
d'ye know but it's her husband that's in the wardrobe, gov'nor? No,
no; I knows some of these 'ere ladies, and I'm not a-going to mix
myself up with them. And if you takes my advice you'll stick to me and
get aboard as soon as we can. And keep this 'ere affair mum, or we may
have a visit from some of her Majesty's detectives."
"Well," ejaculated James Leigh, "it is a mystery, and must remain such
so far as we are concerned. But I am tempted to tell the police, as I
feel certain that woman cannot be there of her own free will."
"Woman be d----d, boss! How do you know, as I said before, that she's
not at the bottom of it? You never knew an affair like this that a
woman had not her hand in it; and if you are going to give
information, don't introduce your humble servant, who has his own
ideas of this 'ere person."
The young fellows had talked on ever since they left the tomb of the
dead, unheeding the direction in which they were going. When the fog
cleared they found themselves amidst the East End slums, environed by
all that was villainous. They were not long in winding their way
aboard the _Betty Sharp_. The night's exploits made a deep impression
on James Leigh; it caused him to review the Bohemian career he had
lived ever since he ran away from the _Pacific_ in Chili. He resolved
to pay a visit to his home in Wales, as he was so near, and in spite
of strong protestations on the part of the captain he resigned his
post. There was great rejoicing in the little village when he
unexpectedly made his appearance. The news of the mutiny aboard the
_Pacific_, and the tragic end of the captain, officers, and part of
the crew preceded him. His family had blamed him for leaving at
Iquique. They now said he had been guided by a strange but merciful
Providence to his old home. He told the eager listeners of the family
circle many tales of daring adventure as they sat in the cosy room by
the fire, but whenever the gruesome figure of the dead man in the
wardrobe crossed his mind he became reticent and pensive. These
lapses did not go unnoticed, and he was often pressed for the cause of
so sudden a change from mirth to sullen silence.
"I will tell you what it is," said he; "a corpse is the cause."
And then he told them all about it. James Leigh's change of life,
manner, and habits dated from the dreaded night when he saw with his
own eyes the ghastly figure of what he believed to be a murdered man.
From being a roving, reckless, devil-may-care sailor, he settled into
a steady, ambitious, capable man. He married a Welsh girl after his
own heart, and forgot all about the daughter of the old Spaniard, who,
if subsequent accounts were correct, pined for his return to Chili.
Mrs. Leigh resented any allusion to the Spanish maiden. She always
reminded her husband that people should marry their own countrywomen,
and that instead of thinking of her he should be using his mind in
attaining that knowledge that would enable him to reach the height of
his profession. He was not long in satisfying the lady's ambition and
his own. In less than five years from leaving the Yankee ship he was
in command of a smart, up-to-date English steamer, trading between
Mozambique and Zanzibar, trafficking in slaves and other merchandise.
He made heaps of money for his owners, and was gifted with an aptitude
for never neglecting himself in matters of finance. In due course the
trade collapsed, and he was ordered to bring his vessel home. By this
time his savings from several sources had accumulated to a decent
little fortune, and with it he resolved to start business on his own
account. He sought the aid of a few friends, and was enabled to
purchase a small steamer. It was while he was on a visit to this
much-boasted-of craft that he came across Shorty at a fair outside
Cardiff. The rugged ex-boatswain had a machine for trying strength,
and asked him to have a go. Captain Leigh recognized his old shipmate
by a defect in his speech, and made himself known. Shorty was filled
with delight, and would have given him the whole show. He rushed off,
called out to a lady who was attending to the machine, and brought her
to be introduced.
"This is my bit o' cracklen, Jim. She's a good 'un, she is. Now, don't
ye be a-fallin' in love with her, James, as you used to with the other
girls out in Chili, ancetera, ancetera. Don't ye reckonize her? Don't
ye remember that fine hotel we landed in, and the wardrobe and one or
two other incidents?"
"I do," said Captain James Leigh; "but surely this is not?"
"Yes, it is," said the proud husband. "It's she, isn't it, chubby?"
The lady merely nodded her head and smiled.
"Then what have you been doing, Shorty, all these years?"
"This," said he, pointing to the show. "I never got over the 'orror of
that night, so I made my mind up not to go a rovin' agen; and this
'ere girl, that I thought so badly of, 'as helped me to make a livin'
ever since I came across her. Very queer, you was right; she was sort
o' confined to the 'ouse, but had nothin' to do with the corpse. She
didn't know of it until I told her."
"My God! don't talk of it, Shorts. I cannot bear to think of it even
now. But how did you pick her up?"
"At the docks," said John Shorts. "She came to look for us, and I took
on with her and got married."
"You must have had a strong belief in her."
"Yes; and so would you if you knew her as I do. I'd trust my money,
and my life, and everything with her. D'ye see that waggon of mats and
baskets? That's her department; started on her own 'ook. My word,
she's a daisy."
"Well, Shorty, I'm delighted to see you. And now I must be going. You
seem quite happy."
"Happy," said the boatswain, "that's not a name for it. It's 'eaven on
earth this 'ere thing," looking and pointing at his wife. Breaking off
quickly, he said, "'Ave ye ever heard from Chili, Jim?"
"Oh yes," said he; "I had a letter only the other day from Dutchy. The
old owner died, and left all his money to his two daughters and
Dutchy, who married the eldest."
"That's a bit thick, isn't it, Jim--for that fat Dutchman to go
wandering about the Spanish Main doin' all sorts of things, and then
fall on his feet like this?"
"Well," said Jim, "you have fallen on your feet, so you say; and I'm
sure I have."
"That's right," said Shorts. "I wasn't thinken' that the wife was
standin' by."
The lady quietly smiled, shook hands with her husband's late chum, and
walked off towards her caravan. Captain Leigh endeavoured to draw
Shorty to tell him about his wife, but the old sailor evaded all his
questions.
"Well," said Leigh, "this has been a joyful meeting to me, and if we
never met again, God bless you!"
"The same to you, Jim," said Shorts. "Good-bye, old chap."
The two men never did meet again. James Leigh is now a prosperous
merchant, and may be seen any day in a smart-cut "frocker" and silk
hat, having his lunch at a bar, surrounded with kindred spirits,
telling his wonderful tales--some truthful, others well padded, but
all interesting.