“That’s different,” he ses.

“Oh!” ses I. “’Ow?”

“I lost my own property,” he ses, “but you lost George’s, and ’ow a man like you, that’s so much sharper and cleverer than other people, could be had so easy, I can’t think.  Why, a child of five would ha’ known better.”

“A baby in arms would ha’ known better,” ses the man wot ’ad bought the di’mond ring. “’Ow could you ‘ave been so silly, Bill?  At your time o’ life, too!”

“That’s neither ’ere nor there,” ses the skip-per.  “The watchman has lost twenty-five quid belonging to one o’ my men.  The question is, wot is he going to do about it?”

“Nothing,” I ses.  “I didn’t ask ’im to let me mind the box.  He done it of ’is own free will.  It’s got nothing to do with me.”

“Oh, hasn’t it?” ses the skipper, drawing ’imself up.  “I don’t want to be too ’ard on you, but at the same time I can’t let my man suffer.  I’ll make it as easy as I can, and I order you to pay ’im five shillings a week till the twenty-five pounds is cleared off.”

I laughed; I couldn’t ’elp it.  I just stood there and laughed at ’im.

“If you don’t,” ses the skipper, “then I shall lay the facts of the case afore the guv’nor.  Whether he’ll object to you being in a pub a mile away, taking care of a box of gold while you was supposed to be taking care of the wharf, is his bisness.  My bisness is to see that my man ’as ’is rights.”

“’Ear, ’ear !” ses the crew.

“You please yourself, watchman,” ses the skipper.  “You’re such a clever man that no doubt you could get a better job to-morrow.  There must be ’eaps of people wanting a man like you.  It’s for you to decide.  That’s all I’ve got to say—­five bob a week till pore George ’as got ’is money back, or else I put the case afore the guv’nor.  Wot did you say?”

I said it agin, and, as ’e didn’t seem to understand, I said it once more.

“Please yourself,” ’e ses, when I ’ad finished.  “You’re an old man, and five bob a week can’t be much loss to you.  You’ve got nothing to spend it on, at your time o’ life.  And you’ve got a very soft job ’ere.  Wot?”

I didn’t answer ’im.  I just turned round, and, arter giving a man wot stood in my way a punch in the chest, I got up on deck and on to the wharf, and said my little say all alone to myself, behind the crane.

I paid the fust five bob to George Tebb the next time the ship was up, and arter biting ’em over and over agin and then ringing ’em on the deck ’e took the other chaps round to the Bear’s Head.

“P’r’aps it’s just as well it’s ’appened,” he ses.  “Five bob a week for nearly two years ain’t to be sneezed at.  It’s slow, but it’s sure.”

I thought ’e was joking at fust, but arter working it out in the office with a bit o’ pencil and paper I thought I should ha’ gorn crazy.  And when I complained about the time to George ’e said I could make it shorter if I liked by paying ten bob a week, but ’e thought the steady five bob a week was best for both of us.