“No,” said Jack the boatswain; “nor I don’t want to.  I’ll soon get another where they knows how to treat genuine sweetheartin’.”

Jim Leigh at this point said—­

“Now then ‘Shortlegs,’ we must be going.  I’ve heard that yarn fifty times.”

“Yes, you have; but these here ladies haven’t.”

“Quite right,” said the ladies.  “And we would like you to continue telling some more of your love experiences on the Spanish Main.”

Jack, however, said—­

“Well, not to-night.  Jim wants to get away.  I’ll come some other time.”

The two sailors then left and made their way back to the docks, and as they approached the East End a fog which had been hanging over became so dense that they could not see where they were, and after groping about for a couple of hours they ran against a house which had a light in the window.  Jim rapped at the door, and a man presented himself.  He was only partially clad.  His voice and dialect left no doubt as to the locality they were in.

“Wot yer doin’ of ‘ere this time o’ night?  ’Ave yer come to rob some o’ these yere ’ouses, or wot’s yer gime?”

Mr. Leigh was a talkative person, and hastened to explain where they were going, and that they could not find their way.  The man asked the two officers in, and presented them to a woman who sat by the fire with a shawl over her shoulders.  She was young, and seemed to be of the gipsy type; tall, handsome features, jet black hair, sparkling eyes and eyebrows; and when she asked them to be seated, her voice and accent gave the impression of a lady.  She chatted quite freely to the sailors about their profession and the countries they had visited, which led them to suppose that the lady was a great traveller.  She, however, told them that her knowledge was derived from books.  Shortlegs was mute.  While the others talked he was closely scrutinizing the surroundings.  Their host was a tall, well-set man, with shifty, evil-looking eyes that were kept busy, as was his tongue.  After they had been in the house some time, he asked them if they wished to stay all night.

“We don’t want ter press yer, but if yer like we’ve got a comfortable room.  But ye’ll both ’ave to sleep in one bed.”

“We don’t mind that,” said James Leigh.  “Show us where it is.”

They bade the lady good morning, as it was 2 a.m., and they were escorted upstairs to a moderately-furnished room with an iron bed, wooden washstand, wardrobe, two chairs, and canvased floor.

“Well, do you think it’ll do?” asked the host.

“Yes,” replied James, in a jaunty way.  “We’ve slept in many a worse place than this, Shorty, haven’t we?  See that we’re called at six in the morning, gov’nor.”

“That’s all right,” said the shifty-eyed host; “we’re early birds, we are, in this ’ere ’ouse.  We goes to bed early too.  Wot’ll ye ’ave for breakfast?”

“Never mind breakfast; we’ll get that when we get aboard,” replied Leigh.  “Good-night; it’s very good of you to put us up.”