“Why, what is that,” said I, “except it be death?”

“It is repentance.”

“Why,” says I, “did you ever know a pirate repent?”

At this he was startled a little, and returned.

“At the gallows I have known one, and I hope thou wilt be the second.”

He spoke this very affectionately, with an appearance of concern for me.

“My proposal,” William went on, “is for thy good as well as my own.  We may put an end to this kind of life, and repent.”

“Look you, William,” says I, “let me have your proposal for putting an end to our present way of living first, and you and I will talk of the other afterwards.”

“Nay,” says William, “thou art in the right there; we must never talk of repenting while we continue pirates.”

“Well,” says I, “William, that’s what I meant; for if we must not reform, as well as be sorry for what is done, I have no notion what repentance means:  the nature of the thing seems to tell me that the first step we have to take is to break off this wretched course.  Dost thou think it practicable for us to put an end to our unhappy way of living, and get off?”

“Yes,” says he, “I think it very practicable.”

We were then anchored off the city of Bassorah, and one night William and I went ashore, and sent a note to the boatswain telling him we were betrayed and bidding him make off with the ship.

By this means we frighted the rogues our comrades; and we had nothing to do then but to consider how to convert our treasure into things proper to make us look like merchants, as we were now to be, and not like freebooters, as we really had been.

Then we clothed ourselves like Armenian merchants, and after many days reached Venice; and at last we agreed to go to London.  For William had a sister whom he was anxious to see once more.

So we came to England, and some time later I married William’s sister, with whom I am much more happy than I deserve.

* * * * *

CHARLES DICKENS

Barnaby Rudge

      Charles Dickens, son of a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, was
     born at Landport on February 7, 1812.  Soon afterwards the
     family removed to Chatham and then to London.  With all their
     efforts, they failed to keep out of distress, and at the age
     of nine Dickens was employed at a blacking factory.  With the
     coming of brighter days, he was sent back to school;
     afterwards a place was found for him in a solicitor’s office. 
     In the meantime, his father had obtained a position as
     reporter on the “Morning Herald,” and Dickens, too, resolved
     to try his fortune in that direction.  Teaching himself
     shorthand, and studying diligently at the British Museum, at
     the age of twenty-two he secured permanent employment on the