“They’re trespassing,” I ses, “all except the skipper and mate here.  They belong to a little wash-tub that’s laying alongside, and they’re both as ’armless as they look.”

It’s wonderful wot a uniform will do.  The policeman just jerked his ’ead and said “out-side,” and the men went out like a flock of sheep.  The on’y man that said a word was the carman, who was in such a hurry that ’e knocked his bad shin against my foot as ’e went by.  The thin little woman was passed out by the policeman in the middle of a speech she was making, and he was just going for the other, when the skipper stopped ’im.

“This lady is coming on my ship,” he ses, puffing out ’is chest.

I looked at ’im, and then I turned to the policeman.  “So long as she goes off my wharf, I don’t mind where she goes,” I ses.  “The skipper’s goings-on ’ave got nothing to do with me.”

“Then she can foller him ’ome in the morning,” ses the skipper.  “Good night, watch-man.”

Him and the mate ’elped the silly old thing to the ship, and, arter I ’ad been round to the Bear’s Head and fetched a pint for the police-man, I locked up and sat down to think things out; and the more I thought the worse they seemed.  I’ve ’eard people say that if you have a clear conscience nothing can hurt you.  They didn’t know my missus.

I got up at last and walked on to the jetty, and the woman, wot was sitting on the deck of the John Henry, kept calling out:  “Bill!” like a sick baa-lamb crying for its ma.  I went back, and ’ad four pints at the Bear’s Head, but it didn’t seem to do me any good, and at last I went and sat down in the office to wait for morning.

It came at last, a lovely morning with a beautiful sunrise; and that woman sitting up wide awake, waiting to foller me ’ome.  When I opened the gate at six o’clock she was there with the mate and the skipper, waiting, and when I left at five minutes past she was trotting along beside me.

Twice I stopped and spoke to ’er, but it was no good.  Other people stopped too, and I ’ad to move on agin; and every step was bringing me nearer to my house and the missus.

I turned into our street, arter passing it three times, and the first thing I saw was my missus standing on the doorstep ’aving a few words with the lady next door.  Then she ’appened to look up and see us, just as that silly woman was trying to walk arm-in-arm.

Twice I knocked her ’and away, and then, right afore my wife and the party next door, she put her arm round my waist.  By the time I got to the ’ouse my legs was trembling so I could hardly stand, and when I got into the passage I ’ad to lean up against the wall for a bit.

[Illustration:  Right afore my wife and the party next door she put her arm round my waist.]

“Keep ’er out,” I ses.