“‘Sartain,’ I ses.

“’Well, he don’t live ‘ere,’ he ses.  ’Why not try thirty-seven and forty-seven?’

“I tried’em:  thirty-seven was empty, and a pasty-faced chap at forty-seven nearly made ’imself ill over the name of ‘Kiddem.’  It ’adn’t struck me before, but it’s a hard matter to deceive me, and all in a flash it come over me that I ’ad been done agin, and that the gal was as bad as ’er brother.

“I was so done up I could ’ardly crawl back, and my ’ead was all in a maze.  Three or four times I stopped and tried to think, but couldn’t, but at last I got back and dragged myself into the office.

“As I ’arf expected, it was empty.  There was no sign of either the gal or the boy; and I dropped into a chair and tried to think wot it all meant.  Then, ’appening to look out of the winder, I see somebody running up and down the jetty.

“I couldn’t see plain owing to the things in the way, but as soon as I got outside and saw who it was I nearly dropped.  It was the boy, and he was running up and down wringing his ’ands and crying like a wild thing, and, instead o’ running away as soon as ’e saw me, he rushed right up to me and threw ’is grubby little paws round my neck.

“‘Save her!’ ’e ses.  ’Save ‘er!  Help!  Help!’

“’Look ‘ere,’ I ses, shoving ’im off.

“‘She fell overboard,’ he ses, dancing about.  ’Oh, my pore sister!  Quick!  Quick!  I can’t swim!’

“He ran to the side and pointed at the water, which was just about at ’arf-tide.  Then ’e caught ’old of me agin.

“’Make ‘aste,’ he ses, giving me a shove behind.  ’Jump in.  Wot are you waiting for?’

“I stood there for a moment ’arf dazed, looking down at the water.  Then I pulled down a life-belt from the wall ’ere and threw it in, and, arter another moment’s thought, ran back to the Lizzie and Annie, wot was in the inside berth, and gave them a hail.  I’ve always ’ad a good voice, and in a flash the skipper and Ted Sawyer came tumbling up out of the cabin and the ’ands out of the fo’c’sle.

“‘Gal overboard!’ I ses, shouting.

“The skipper just asked where, and then ’im and the mate and a couple of ’ands tumbled into their boat and pulled under the jetty for all they was worth.  Me and the boy ran back and stood with the others, watching.

“‘Point out the exact spot,’ ses the skipper.

“The boy pointed, and the skipper stood up in the boat and felt round with a boat-hook.  Twice ’e said he thought ’e touched something, but it turned out as ’e was mistaken.  His face got longer and longer and ’e shook his ’ead, and said he was afraid it was no good.

“‘Don’t stand cryin’ ‘ere,’ he ses to the boy, kindly.  ’Jem, run round for the Thames police, and get them and the drags.  Take the boy with you.  It’ll occupy ‘is mind.’

“He ’ad another go with the boat-hook arter they ’ad gone; then ’e gave it up, and sat in the boat waiting.