“I feel it ’ere,” he ses, very solemn, laying his ’and on his chest.

I didn’t know wot to do.  Wot with ’is foolishness and his missis’s temper, I see I ’ad made a mess of it.  He told me she had ’ardly spoke a word to ’im for two days, and when I said—­being a married man myself —­that it might ha’ been worse, ’e said I didn’t know wot I was talking about.

I did a bit o’ thinking arter he ’ad gorn aboard agin.  I dursn’t tell ’im that I ’ad wrote the letter, but I thought if he ’ad one or two more he’d see that some one was ’aving a game with ’im, and that it might do ’im good.  Besides which it was a little amusement for me.

Arter everybody was in their beds asleep I sat on a clerk’s stool in the office and wrote ’im another letter from Dorothy.  I called ’im “Dear Bill,” and I said ’ow sorry I was that I ’adn’t had even a sight of ’im lately, having been laid up with a sprained ankle and ’ad only just got about agin.  I asked ’im to meet me at Cleopatra’s Needle at eight o’clock, and said that I should wear the blue ’at with red roses.

It was a very good letter, but I can see now that I done wrong in writing it.  I was going to post it to ’im, but, as I couldn’t find an envelope without the name of the blessed wharf on it, I put it in my pocket till I got ’ome.

I got ’ome at about a quarter to seven, and slept like a child till pretty near four.  Then I went downstairs to ’ave my dinner.

The moment I opened the door I see there was something wrong.  Three times my missis licked ’er lips afore she could speak.  Her face ’ad gone a dirty white colour, and she was leaning forward with her ’ands on her ’ips, trembling all over with temper.

“Is my dinner ready?” I ses, easy-like. “’Cos I’m ready for it.”

“I—­I wonder I don’t tear you limb from limb,” she ses, catching her breath.

“Wot’s the matter?” I ses.

“And then boil you,” she ses, between her teeth.  “You in one pot and your precious Dorothy in another.”

If anybody ‘ad offered me five pounds to speak then, I couldn’t ha’ done it.  I see wot I’d done in a flash, and I couldn’t say a word; but I kept my presence o’ mind, and as she came round one side o’ the table I went round the other.

“Wot ’ave you got to say for yourself?” she ses, with a scream.

“Nothing,” I ses, at last.  “It’s all a mistake.”

“Mistake?” she ses.  “Yes, you made a mistake leaving it in your pocket; that’s all the mistake you’ve made.  That’s wot you do, is it, when you’re supposed to be at the wharf?  Go about with a blue ’at with red roses in it!  At your time o’ life, and a wife at ’ome working herself to death to make both ends meet and keep you respectable!”

“It’s all a mistake,” I ses.  “The letter wasn’t for me.”

“Oh, no, o’ course not,” she ses.  “That’s why you’d got it in your pocket, I suppose.  And I suppose you’ll say your name ain’t Bill next.”