“If you don’t,” ses the skipper, “then I shall lay the facts of the
case afore the guv’nor. Whether he’ll object to you being in a pub a
mile away, taking care of a box of gold while you was supposed to be
taking care of the wharf, is his bisness. My bisness is to see that my
man ’as ’is rights.”
“’Ear, ’ear !” ses the crew.
“You please yourself, watchman,” ses the skipper. “You’re such a clever
man that no doubt you could get a better job to-morrow. There must be
’eaps of people wanting a man like you. It’s for you to decide. That’s
all I’ve got to say—five bob a week till pore George ’as got ’is money
back, or else I put the case afore the guv’nor. Wot did you say?”
I said it agin, and, as ’e didn’t seem to understand, I said it once
more.
“Please yourself,” ’e ses, when I ’ad finished. “You’re an old man, and
five bob a week can’t be much loss to you. You’ve got nothing to spend
it on, at your time o’ life. And you’ve got a very soft job ’ere. Wot?”
I didn’t answer ’im. I just turned round, and, arter giving a man wot
stood in my way a punch in the chest, I got up on deck and on to the
wharf, and said my little say all alone to myself, behind the crane.
I paid the fust five bob to George Tebb the next time the ship was up,
and arter biting ’em over and over agin and then ringing ’em on the
deck ’e took the other chaps round to the Bear’s Head.
“P’r’aps it’s just as well it’s ’appened,” he ses. “Five bob a week for
nearly two years ain’t to be sneezed at. It’s slow, but it’s sure.”
I thought ’e was joking at fust, but arter working it out in the office
with a bit o’ pencil and paper I thought I should ha’ gorn crazy. And
when I complained about the time to George ’e said I could make it
shorter if I liked by paying ten bob a week, but ’e thought the steady
five bob a week was best for both of us.
I got to ’ate the sight of ’im. Every week regular as clockwork he used
to come round to me with his ’and out, and then go and treat ’is mates
to beer with my money. If the ship came up in the day-time, at six
o’clock in the evening he’d be at the wharf gate waiting for me; and if
it came up at night she was no sooner made fast than ’e was over the
side patting my trouser-pocket and saying wot a good job it was for
both of us that I was in steady employment.
Week arter week and month arter month I went on paying. I a’most forgot
the taste o’ beer, and if I could manage to get a screw o’ baccy a week
I thought myself lucky. And at last, just as I thought I couldn’t stand
it any longer, the end came.
I ’ad just given George ’is week’s money—and ’ow I got it together that
week I don’t know—when one o’ the chaps came up and said the skipper
wanted to see me on board at once.
“Tell ’im if he wants to see me I’m to be found on the wharf,” I ses,
very sharp.
“He wants to see you about George’s money,” ses the chap. “I should go
if I was you. My opinion is he wants to do you a good turn.”
I ’ung fire for a bit, and then, arter sweeping up for a little while
deliberate-like, I put down my broom and stepped aboard to see the
skipper, wot was sitting on the cabin skylight purtending to read a
newspaper.
He put it down when ’e see me, and George and the others, wot ’ad been
standing in a little bunch for’ard, came aft and stood looking on.
“I wanted to see you about this money, watchman,” ses the skipper,
putting on ’is beastly frills agin. “O’ course, we all feel that to a
pore man like you it’s a bit of a strain, and, as George ses, arter all
you have been more foolish than wicked.”
“Much more,” ses George.
“I find that you ’ave now paid five bob a week for nineteen weeks,” ses
the skipper, “and George ’as been kind enough and generous enough to
let you off the rest. There’s no need for you to look bashful, George;
it’s a credit to you.”
I could ’ardly believe my ears. George stood there grinning like a
stuck fool, and two o’ the chaps was on their best behaviour with their
’ands over their mouths and their eyes sticking out.
“That’s all, watchman,” ses the skipper; “and I ’ope it’ll be a lesson
to you not to neglect your dooty by going into public-’ouses and taking
charge of other people’s money when you ain’t fit for it.”
“I sha’n’t try to do anybody else a kindness agin, if that’s wot you
mean,” I ses, looking at ’im.
“No, you’d better not,” he ses. “This partickler bit o’ kindness ’as
cost you four pounds fifteen, and that’s a curious thing when you come
to think of it. Very curious.”
“Wot d’ye mean?” I ses.
“Why,” he ses, grinning like a madman, “it’s just wot we lost between
us. I lost a watch and chain worth two pounds, and another couple o’
pounds besides; Joe lost ten shillings over ’is di’mond ring; and
Charlie lost five bob over a pipe. ‘That’s four pounds fifteen—just the
same as you.”
Them silly fools stood there choking and sobbing and patting each other
on the back as though they’d never leave off, and all of a sudden I ’ad
a ’orrible suspicion that I ’ad been done.
“Did you see the sovereigns in the box?” I ses, turning to the skipper.
“No,” he ses, shaking his ’ead.
“’Ow do you know they was there, then?” ses I.
“Because you took charge of ’em,” said the skipper; “and I know wot a
clever, sharp chap you are. It stands to reason that you wouldn’t be
responsible for a box like that unless you saw inside of it. Why, a
child o’ five wouldn’t!”
I stood there looking at ’im, but he couldn’t meet my eye. None of ’em
could; and arter waiting there for a minute or two to give ’em a
chance, I turned my back on ’em and went off to my dooty.