the cap'n; and they 'greed
between 'em that Mr. More was to hold her in talk while the cap'n went
and took observations in the state-room.

"So, down the cap'n goes into the state-room to give a look at the box.
Wal, he finds the stateroom door all locked to be sure, and my lady had
the key in her pocket; but then the cap'n he had a master key to it; and
so he puts it in, and opens the door quite softly, and begins to take
observations.

"Sure enough, he finds that the screws had been drawed from the top o'
the box, showin' that the widder had been a tinkerin' on't when they
thought she was a cryin' over it; and then, lookin' close, he sees a
bit o' twine goin' from a crack in the box out o' the winder, and up on
deck.

"Wal, the cap'n he kind o' got in the sperit o' the thing; and he
thought he'd jest let the widder play her play out, and see what it
would come to. So he jest calls Tom Toothacre down to him and whispered
to him. 'Tom,' says he, 'you jest crawl under the berth in that 'are
state-room, and watch that 'are box.' And Tom said he would.

"So Tom creeps under the berth, and lies there still as a mouse; and
the cap'n he slips out and turns the key in the door, so that when madam
comes down she shouldn't s'pect nothin'.

"Putty soon, sure enough, Tom heard the lock rattle, and the young
widder come in; and then he heard a bit o' conversation between her and
the corpse.

"'What time is it?' come in a kind o' hoarse whisper out o' the box.

"'Well, 'bout nine o'clock,' says she.

"'How long afore you'll let me out?' says he.

"'Oh I you must have patience,' says she, 'till they're all gone off to
sleep; when there ain't but one man up. I can knock him down,' says she,
'and then I'll pull the string for you.'

"'The devil you will, ma'am!' says Tom to himself, under the berth.

"'Well, it's darned close here,' says the fellow in the box. He didn't
say darned, boys; but he said a wickeder word that I can't repeat,
noways," said Sam, in a parenthesis: "these 'ere British officers was
drefful swearin' critters.

"'You must have patience a while longer,' says the lady, 'till I pull
the string.' Tom Toothacre lay there on his back a laughin'.

"'Is every thing goin' on right?' says the man in the box.

"'All straight,' says she: 'there don't none of 'em suspect.'

"'You bet,' says Tom Toothacre, under the berth; and he said he had the
greatest mind to catch the critter by the feet as she was a stand