“Wot’s the matter with it?” ses Mrs. Cook flaring up.

“Come inside and look at it,” ses Emma, taking ’old of his arm.

“Not me,” ses Charlie, hanging back.  “Why, I wouldn’t take it at a gift.”

He stood there on the kerbstone, and all they could do ’e wouldn’t budge.  He said it was a bad road and a little shop, and ’ad got a look about it he didn’t like.  They walked back ’ome like a funeral procession, and Emma ’ad to keep saying “H’s!” in w’ispers to ’er mother all the way.

[Illustration:  “He said it was a had road and a little shop, and ’ad got a look about it he didn’t like.”]

“I don’t know wot Charlie does want, I’m sure,” ses Mrs. Cook, taking off ’er bonnet as soon as she got indoors and pitching it on the chair he was just going to set down on.

“It’s so awk’ard,” ses old Cook, rubbing his ’cad.  “Fact is, Charlie, we pretty near gave ’em to understand as we’d buy it.”

“It’s as good as settled,” ses Mrs. Cook, trembling all over with temper.

“They won’t settle till they get the money,” ses Charlie.  “You may make your mind easy about that.”

“Emma’s drawn it all out of the bank ready,” ses old Cook, eager like.

Charlie felt ’ot and cold all over.  “I’d better take care of it,” he ses, in a trembling voice.  “You might be robbed.”

“So might you be,” ses Mrs. Cook.  “Don’t you worry; it’s in a safe place.”

“Sailormen are always being robbed,” ses George Smith, who ’ad been helping young Bill with ’is sums while they ’ad gone to look at the shop.  “There’s more sailormen robbed than all the rest put together.”

“They won’t rob Charlie,” ses Mrs. Cook, pressing ’er lips together.  “I’ll take care o’ that.”

Charlie tried to laugh, but ’e made such a queer noise that young Bill made a large blot on ’is exercise-book, and old Cook, wot was lighting his pipe, burnt ’is fingers through not looking wot ’e was doing.

“You see,” ses Charlie, “if I was robbed, which ain’t at all likely, it ’ud only be me losing my own money; but if you was robbed of it you’d never forgive yourselves.”

“I dessay I should get over it,” ses Mrs. Cook, sniffing.  “I’d ’ave a try, at all events.”

Charlie started to laugh agin, and old Cook, who had struck another match, blew it out and waited till he’d finished.

“The whole truth is,” ses Charlie, looking round, “I’ve got something better to do with the money.  I’ve got a chance offered me that’ll make me able to double it afore you know where you are.”

“Not afore I know where I am,” ses Mrs. Cook, with a laugh that was worse than Charlie’s.

“The chance of a lifetime,” ses Charlie, trying to keep ’is temper.  “I can’t tell you wot it is, because I’ve promised to keep it secret for a time.  You’ll be surprised when I do tell you.”

“If I wait till then till I’m surprised,” ses Mrs. Cook, “I shall ’ave to wait a long time.  My advice to you is to take that shop and ha’ done with it.”