er walked
across the deck and whispered to me.

"Wot d'ye mean by it?" he ses. "Wot d'ye mean by 'aving letters from
Dorothy and not telling me about it?"

"I can't help 'aving letters any more than you can," I ses. "Now
p'r'aps you'll understand wot I meant by calling 'er a forward hussy."

"Fancy 'er writing to you!" he ses, wrinkling 'is forehead. "Pph! She
must be crazy."

"P'r'aps it ain't a gal at all," I ses. "My belief is somebody is
'aving a game with us."

"Don't be a fool," he ses. "I'd like to see the party as would make a
fool of me like that. Just see 'im and get my 'ands on him. He
wouldn't want to play any more games."

It was no good talking to 'im. He was 'arf crazy with temper. If I'd
said the letter was meant for 'im he'd 'ave asked me wot I meant by
opening it and getting 'im into more trouble with 'is missis, instead of
giving it to 'im on the quiet. I just stood and suffered in silence,
and thought wot a lot of 'arm eddication did for people.

"I want some money," ses my missis, coming back at last with Mrs.
Smithers.

That was the way she always talked when she'd got me in 'er power. She
took two-and-tenpence--all I'd got--and then she ordered me to go and
get a cab.

"Me and this lady are going to meet her," she ses, sniffing at me.

"And tell her wot we think of 'er," ses Mrs. Smithers, sniffing too.

"And wot we'll do to 'er," ses my missis.

I left 'em standing side by side, looking at the skipper as if 'e was a
waxworks, while I went to find a cab. When I came back they was in the
same persition, and 'e was smoking with 'is eyes shut.

They went off side by side in the cab, both of 'em sitting bolt-upright,
and only turning their 'eads at the last moment to give us looks we
didn't want.

"I don't wish her no 'arm," ses the skipper, arter thinking for a long
time. "Was that the fust letter you 'ad from 'er, Bill?"

"Fust and last," I ses, grinding my teeth.

"I hope they won't meet 'er, pore thing," he ses.

"I've been married longer than wot you have," I ses, "and I tell you one
thing. It won't make no difference to us whether they do or they
don't," I ses.

And it didn't.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Unknown, by W.W. Jacobs

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE UNKNOWN ***

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