“‘I can’t,’ I ses.  ’Somebody’s locked it.  This is Cap’n Tarbell’s young lady.’

“’I’ll Cap’n Tarbell ‘er when I get in!’ ses my wife.  ’You too.  I’ll music-’all you!  I’ll learn you to go gallivanting about!  Open the door!’

“She walked up and down the alley-way in front of the window waiting for me just like a lion walking up and down its cage waiting for its dinner, and I made up my mind then and there that I should ’ave to make a clean breast of it and let Cap’n Tarbell get out of it the best way he could.  I wasn’t going to suffer for him.

“’Ow long my missis walked up and down there I don’t know.  It seemed ages to me; but at last I ’eard footsteps and voices, and Bob and the cook and the other two chaps wot we ’ad met at the music’all came along and stood grinning in at the window.

“‘Somebody’s locked us in,’ I ses.  ‘Go and fetch Cap’n Tarbell.’

“‘Cap’n Tarbell?’ ses the cook.  ’You don’t want to see ’im.  Why, he’s the last man in the world you ought to want to see!  You don’t know ’ow jealous he is.’

“’You go and fetch ’im, I ses. ’’Ow dare you talk like that afore my wife!’

“‘I dursen’t take the responserbility,’ ses the cook.  ’It might mean bloodshed.’

“’You go and fetch ‘im,’ ses my missis.  ’Never mind about the bloodshed.  I don’t.  Open the door!’

“She started banging on the door agin, and arter talking among themselves for a time they moved off to the ship.  They came back in three or four minutes, and the cook ’eld up something in front of the window.

“’The boy ‘ad got it,’ he ses.  ’Now shall I open the door and let your missis in, or would you rather stay where you are in peace and quietness?’

“I saw my missis jump at the key, and Bob and the others, laughing fit to split their sides, ’olding her back.  Then I heard a shout, and the next moment Cap’n Tarbell came up and asked ’em wot the trouble was about.

“They all started talking at once, and then the cap’n, arter one look in at the window, threw up his ’ands and staggered back as if ’e couldn’t believe his eyesight.  He stood dazed-like for a second or two, and then ’e took the key out of the cook’s ’and, opened the door, and walked in.  The four men was close be’ind ’im, and, do all she could, my missis couldn’t get in front of ’em.

“‘Watchman!’ he ses, in a stuck-up voice, ’wot does this mean?  Laura Lamb! wot ’ave you got to say for yourself?  Where ’ave you been all the evening?’

“‘She’s been to a music-’all with Bill,’ ses the cook.  ’We saw ’em.’

“‘Wot?’ ses the cap’n, falling back again.  ‘It can’t be!’

“‘It was them,’ ses my wife.  ’A little boy brought me a note telling me.  You let me go; it’s my husband, and I want to talk to ‘im.’

“‘It’s all right,’ I ses, waving my ’and at Miss Lamb, wot was going to speak, and smiling at my missis, wot was trying to get at me.