“’Ow would you like it if I brought another young lady with me?” she ses to Ted.

“It wouldn’t make no difference to me,” ses Ted.  “Any friend o’ yours is welcome.”

Emma stood looking at ’em, and then she patted ’er eyes with a pocket-’ankercher and began to look more cheerful.

“You ain’t the only one that has got a dear friend,” she says, looking. at ’im and wiping ’er lips with the ’ankercher.  “I’ve got one, and if Charlie Brice don’t promise to stay at ’ome to-morrow night I’ll bring her with me.”

“Bring ’er, and welcome,” ses Ted.

“I sha’n’t stay at ’ome for fifty dear friends,” ses Charlie.

“Have it your own way,” ses Emma.  “If you come, Sophy Jennings comes, that’s all.”

She was as good as ’er word, too, and next night when they turned up they found Emma and ’er friend waiting for them.  Charlie thought it was the friend’s mother at fust, but he found out arterwards that she was a widder-woman.  She had ’ad two husbands, and both of ’em ’ad passed away with a smile on their face.  She seemed to take a fancy to Charlie the moment she set eyes on ’im, and two or three times, they’d ’ave lost Ted and Emma if it hadn’t been for ’im.

[Illustration:  “When they turned up they found Emma and ’er friend waiting for them.”]

They did lose ’em the next night, and Charlie Brice ’ad Mrs. Jennings all alone to himself for over a couple of hours walking up and down the Commercial Road talking about the weather; Charles saying ’ow wet and cold it, was, and thinking p’r’aps they ’ad better go off ’ome afore she got a chill.

He complained to Ted about it when ’e got ’ome, and Ted promised as it shouldn’t ’appen agin.  He said that ’im and Emma ’ad been so busy talking about getting married that he ’ad forgotten to keep an eye on him.

“Married!” ses Charlie, very upset.  “Married!  And wot’s to become o’ me?”

“Come and lodge with us,” ses Ted.

They shook hands on it, but Ted said they ’ad both better keep it to themselves a bit and wait until Emma ’ad got more used to Charlie afore they told her.  Ted let ’er get used to ’im for three days more afore he broke the news to ’er, and the way she went on was alarming.  She went on for over ten minutes without taking breath, and she was just going to start again when Mrs. Jennings stopped her.

“He’s all right,” she ses.  “You leave ’im alone.”

“I’m not touching ’im,” ses Emma, very scornful.

“You leave ’im alone,” ses Mrs. Jennings, taking hold of Charlie’s arm.  “I don’t say things about your young man.”

Charlie Brice started as if he ’ad been shot, and twice he opened ’is mouth to speak and show Mrs. Jennings ’er mistake; but, wot with trying to find ’is voice in the fust place, and then finding words to use it with in the second, he didn’t say anything.  He just walked along gasping, with ’is mouth open like a fish.