There was a lot o’ quarrelling, but the bets was all settled at last, and the landlord o’ the Jolly Pilots, who was in ’igh feather with the money he’d won, gave Ginger the five pounds he’d promised and took him ’ome in a cab.

“You done well, my lad,” he ses.  “No, don’t smile.  It looks as though your ’ead’s coming off.”

“I ’ope you’ll tell Miss Tucker ’ow I fought,” ses Ginger.

“I will, my lad,” ses the landlord; “but you’d better not see ’er for some time, for both your sakes.”

“I was thinking of ’aving a day or two in bed,” ses Ginger.

“Best thing you can do,” ses the landlord; “and mind, don’t you ever fight Bill Lumm agin.  Keep out of ’is way.”

“Why?  I beat ‘im once, an’ I can beat ’im agin,” ses Ginger, offended.

“Beat ’im?” ses the landlord.  He took ’is cigar out of ’is mouth as though ’e was going to speak, and then put it back agin and looked out of the window.

“Yes, beat ‘im,” ses Ginger’.  “You was there and saw it.”

“He lost the fight a-purpose,” ses the landlord, whispering.  “Miss Tucker found out that you wasn’t a prize-fighter—­leastways, I did for ’er—­and she told Bill that, if ’e loved ’er so much that he’d ’ave ’is sinful pride took down by letting you beat ’im, she’d think diff’rent of ’im.  Why, ’e could ’ave settled you in a minute if he’d liked.  He was on’y playing with you.”

Ginger stared at ’im as if ’e couldn’t believe ’is eyes.  “Playing?” he ses, feeling ’is face very gently with the tips of his fingers.

“Yes,” ses the landlord; “and if he ever hits you agin you’ll know I’m speaking the truth.”

Ginger sat back all of a heap and tried to think.  “Is Miss Tucker going to keep company with ’im agin, then?” he ses, in a faint voice.

“No,” ses the landlord; “you can make your mind easy on that point.”

“Well, then, if I walk out with ’er I shall ’ave to fight Bill all over agin,” ses Ginger.

The landlord turned to ’im and patted ’im on the shoulder.  “Don’t you take up your troubles afore they come, my lad,” he ses, kindly; “and mind and keep wot I’ve told you dark, for all our sakes.”

He put ’im down at the door of ’is lodgings and, arter shaking ’ands with ’im, gave the landlady a shilling and told ’er to get some beefsteak and put on ’is face, and went home.  Ginger went straight off to bed, and the way he carried on when the landlady fried the steak afore bringing it up showed ’ow upset he was.

[Illustration:  “The way he carried on when the landlady fried the steak showed ’ow upset he was.”]

It was over a week afore he felt ’e could risk letting Miss Tucker see ’im, and then at seven o’clock one evening he felt ’e couldn’t wait any longer, and arter spending an hour cleaning ’imself he started out for the Jolly Pilots.

He felt so ‘appy at the idea o’ seeing her agin that ’e forgot all about Bill Lumm, and it gave ’im quite a shock when ’e saw ’im standing outside the Pilots.  Bill took his ’ands out of ’is pockets when he saw ’im and came toward ’im.