I ses, in a loud voice. 'Thank goodness she's come.'

"'Open the door!' ses my missis, with a screech.

"'OPEN THE DOOR!'

"'I can't,' I ses. 'Somebody's locked it. This is Cap'n Tarbell's young
lady.'

"'I'll Cap'n Tarbell 'er when I get in!' ses my wife. 'You too. I'll
music-'all you! I'll learn you to go gallivanting about! Open the
door!'

"She walked up and down the alley-way in front of the window waiting for
me just like a lion walking up and down its cage waiting for its dinner,
and I made up my mind then and there that I should 'ave to make a clean
breast of it and let Cap'n Tarbell get out of it the best way he could.
I wasn't going to suffer for him.

"'Ow long my missis walked up and down there I don't know. It seemed
ages to me; but at last I 'eard footsteps and voices, and Bob and the
cook and the other two chaps wot we 'ad met at the music'all came along
and stood grinning in at the window.

"'Somebody's locked us in,' I ses. 'Go and fetch Cap'n Tarbell.'

"'Cap'n Tarbell?' ses the cook. 'You don't want to see 'im. Why, he's
the last man in the world you ought to want to see! You don't know 'ow
jealous he is.'

"'You go and fetch 'im, I ses. ''Ow dare you talk like that afore my
wife!'

"'I dursen't take the responserbility,' ses the cook. 'It might mean
bloodshed.'

"'You go and fetch 'im,' ses my missis. 'Never mind about the bloodshed.
I don't. Open the door!'

"She started banging on the door agin, and arter talking among themselves
for a time they moved off to the ship. They came back in three or four
minutes, and the cook 'eld up something in front of the window.

"'The boy 'ad got it,' he ses. 'Now shall I open the door and let your
missis in, or would you rather stay where you are in peace and
quietness?'

"I saw my missis jump at the key, and Bob and the others, laughing fit to
split their sides, 'olding her back. Then I heard a shout, and the next
moment Cap'n Tarbell came up and asked 'em wot the trouble was about.

"They all started talking at once, and then the cap'n, arter one look in
at the window, threw up his 'ands and staggered back as if 'e couldn't
believe his eyesight. He stood dazed-like for a second or two, and then
'e took the key out of the cook's 'and, opened the door, and walked in.
The four men was close be'ind 'im, and, do all she could, my missis
couldn't get in front of 'em.

"'Watchman!' he ses, in a stuck-up voice, 'wot does this me