"It's no more than what you told me."

"Never mind; let's 'ear if it's c'rect."

Arthur Miles read--

'DEAR MR. HUCKS,--This comes to say that we are not at Holmness
yet, but getting on. This place is called Sharpness, and does a
big trade, and the size of the shipping would make you wonder,
after Bursfield. We left S.B. and the M.'s at Stratford, as _per_
my favour--'

"What does that mean?" asked the scribe, looking up.

"It's what they always put into business letters."

"But what does it mean?"

"It means--well, it means you're just as sharp as th' other man, so 'e
needn't try it on."

'--as _per_ my favour of yesterday. And just below Stratford we
picked up with a painter from America, but quite the gentleman, as
you will see by his taking us on to a place called Tukesberry in a
real moter car.'

[Let it be pleaded for Arthur Miles that his spelling had been
outstripped of late by his experience. His sentences were as Tilda had
constructed them in dictation.]

'Which at Tukesberry, happening to come across a gentleman friend of
mine, as used to work for Gavel, and by name William, this American
gentleman--'

"Sounds odd, don't it?" interposed Tilda.

"There's too much about gentlemen in it," the boy suggested.

"Well, but _you're_ a gentleman. We shall find that out, right enough,
when we get to 'Olmness. 'Ucks don't know that, and I'm tonin' 'im up
to it. . . . You 'aven't put in what I told yer--about me tellin' Mr.
Jessup as Bill was my brother-in-law an' 'is callin' back to us that
'e'd look after us 'ere."

"No."

"W'y not?"

There was reason for Tilda's averted gaze. She had to watch the tug's
deck. But why did her face flush?

"Because it isn't true."

"It got us 'ere," she retorted. "True or not, 'twouldn't do yer no 'arm
to allow _that_, seemin' to me."

Although she said it defiantly, her tone carried no conviction.

Arthur Miles made no response, but read on--

'--this American gentleman paid our fares on by railway to join him,
and gave us half a suffering for X.'s.'

"Is that right?"

"Sure," said Tilda. "Gold money is all sufferin's or 'arf-sufferin's.
I got it tied in a corner o' what Miss Montagu taught me to call my
shimmy--shifts bein' vulgar, she said."

'--So here we are, and W.B. capital. Which we hope to post our next
from Holmness, and remain,'
'Yours respectfully,'