“‘I’ve just remembered,’ she ses, pinching her chin.  ‘Yes!’

“She stepped to the door and went up the companion-ladder, and the next moment I ’eard a sliding noise and a key turn in a lock.  I jumped to the foot of the ladder and, ’ardly able to believe my senses, saw that the hatch was closed.  When I found that it was locked too, you might ha’ knocked me down with a feather.

“I went down to the cabin agin, and, standing on the locker, pushed the skylight up with my ’ead and tried to lookout.  I couldn’t see the gate, but I ’eard voices and footsteps, and a little while arterwards I see that gal coming along the wharf arm in arm with the young man she ’ad told me she didn’t like, and dancing for joy.  They climbed on to the schooner, and then they both stooped down with their hands on their knees and looked at me.

“‘Wot is it?’ ses the young man, grinning.

“‘It’s a watchman,’ ses the gal.  ’It’s here to take charge of the wharf, you know, and see that nobody comes on.’

“‘We ought to ha’ brought some buns for it,’ ses the young man; ’look at it opening its mouth.’

“They both laughed fit to kill themselves, but I didn’t move a muscle.

“‘You open the companion,’ I ses, ’or it’ll be the worse for you.  D’ye hear?  Open it !’

“‘Oh, Alfred,’ ses the gal, ’he’s losing ’is temper.  Wotever shall we do?’

“‘I don’t want no more nonsense,’ I ses, trying to fix ’er with my eye.  ‘If you don’t let me out it’ll be the worse for you.’

“‘Don’t you talk to my young lady like that,’ ses the young man.

“‘Your young lady?’ I ses.  ‘H’mm!  You should ha’ seen ’er ’arf an hour ago.’

“The gal looked at me steady for a moment.

“’He put ‘is nasty fat arm round my waist, Alfred,’ she ses.

“‘Wot!’ ses the young man, squeaking.  ‘Wot!’

“He snatched up the mop wot that nasty, untidy cook ’ad left leaning agin the side, and afore I ’ad any idea of wot ’e was up to he shoved the beastly thing straight in my face.

“‘Next time,’ he ses, ‘I’ll tear you limb from limb!’

“I couldn’t speak for a time, and when I could ’e stopped me with the mop agin.  It was like a chained lion being tormented by a monkey.  I stepped down on to the cabin floor, and then I told ’em both wot I thought of ’em.

“‘Come along, Alfred,’ ses the gal, ’else the cook’ll be back before we start.’

“‘He’s all right,’ ses the young man.  ’Minnie’s looking arter him.  When I left he’d got ’arf a bottle of whisky in front of ‘im.’

“‘Still, we may as well go,’ ses Miss Butt.  ’It seems a shame to keep the cab waiting.’

“‘All right,’ he ses.  ’I just want to give this old chump one more lick with the mop and then we’ll go.’

“He peeped down the skylight and waited, but I kept quite quiet, with my back towards ’im.

“‘Come along,’ ses Miss Butt.