"'Ow much?" ses Bill, nearly putting his 'ead up over the clothes, while
'is wife almost woke up with surprise and anger.

"Fifteen shillings," ses Silas, in 'is most awful voice. "You'll save
that over the drink."

"I--I'll go round and see her," ses Bill. "S'he might be one o' these
'ere independent--" 277

"I forbid you to go near the place," ses Silas. "Send it by post every
week; 15 Shap Street will find her. Put your arm up and swear it; same
as you did afore."

Bill did as 'e was told, and then 'e lay and trembled, as Silas gave
three more awful groans.

"Farewell, Bill," he ses. "Farewell. I am going back to my bed at the
bottom o' the sea. So long as you keep both your oaths I shall stay
there. If you break one of 'em or go to see my pore wife I shall appear
agin. Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!"

Bill said "Good-by," and arter a long silence he ventured to put an eye
over the edge of the clothes and discovered that the ghost 'ad gone. He
lay awake for a couple o' hours, wondering and saying over the address to
himself so that he shouldn't forget it, and just afore it was time to get
up he fell into a peaceful slumber. His wife didn't get a wink, and she
lay there trembling with passion to think 'ow she'd been done, and
wondering 'ow she was to alter it.

Bill told 'er all about it in the morning; and then with tears in his
eyes 'e went downstairs and emptied a little barrel o' beer down the
sink. For the fust two or three days 'e went about with a thirst that
he'd ha' given pounds for if 'e'd been allowed to satisfy it, but arter a
time it went off, and then, like all teetotallers, 'e began to run down
drink and call it pison.

[Illustration: "With tears in his eyes 'e emptied a little barrel o' beer
down the sink."]

The fust thing 'e did when 'e got his money on Friday was to send off a
post-office order to Shap Street, and Mrs. Burtenshaw cried with rage and
'ad to put it down to the headache. She 'ad the headache every Friday
for a month, and Bill, wot was feeling stronger and better than he 'ad
done for years, felt quite sorry for her.

By the time Bill 'ad sent off six orders she was worn to skin and bone
a'most a-worrying over the way Silas Winch was spending her money. She
dursn't undeceive Bill for two reasons: fust of all, because she didn't
want 'im to take to drink agin; and secondly, for fear of wot he might do
to 'er if 'e found out 'ow she'd been deceiving 'im.

S