of clothes for them. Hurry up. There's a lovely frock."

"Blimey," said the man, staring, "I've only got these clothes. Wot d'yer
take me for? A dook?"

"Well, get me some somewhere," said Tommy. "If you don't the cap'n 'll
have to come in these, and I'm sure he won't like it."

"I wonder what he'd look like," said the man, with a grin. "Damme if I
don't come up and see."

"Get me some clothes," pleaded Tommy.

"I wouldn't get you clothes, no, not for fifty pun," said the man
severely. "Wot d'yer mean wanting to spoil people's pleasure in that
way? Come on, come and tell the cap'n what you've got for 'im, I want
to 'ear what he ses. He's been swearing 'ard since ten o'clock this
morning, but he ought to say something special over this."

He led the way up the bare wooden stairs, followed by the harassed boy,
and entered a small dirty room at the top, in the centre of which the
master of the Sarah Jane sat to deny visitors, in a pair of socks and
last week's paper.

"Here's a young gent come to bring you some clothes, cap'n," said the
man, taking the sack from the boy.

"Why didn't you come before?" growled the captain, who was reading the
advertisements.

The man put his hand in the sack, and pulled out the clothes. "What do
you think of 'em?" he asked expectantly.

The captain strove vainly to tell him, but his tongue mercifully forsook
its office, and dried between his lips. His brain rang with sentences of
scorching iniquity, but they got no further.

"Well, say thank you, if you can't say nothing else," suggested his
tormentor hopefully.

"I couldn't bring nothing else," said Tommy hurriedly; "all the things
was locked up. I tried to swop 'em and nearly got locked up for it. Put
these on and hurry up."

The captain moistened his lips with his tongue.

"The mate'll get off directly she floats," continued Tommy. "Put these
on and spoil his little game. It's raining a little now. Nobody'll see
you, and as soon as you git aboard you can borrow some of the men's
clothes."

"That's the ticket, cap'n," said the man. "Lord lumme, you'll 'ave
everybody falling in love with you."

"Hurry up," said Tommy, dancing with impatience. "Hurry up."

The skipper, dazed and wild-eyed, stood still while his two assistants
hastily dressed him, bickering somewhat about details as they did so.

"He ought to be tight-laced, I tell you," said the man.

"He can't be tight-laced without stays," said Tommy scornfully. "