ut on some decent
clothes."]

Dixon looked at 'er for a moment and then he 'ung his 'ead.

"I've been thinking o' you and of seeing you agin every day since I went
away, Julia," he ses. "You'd be the same to me if you was dressed in
rags."

He went upstairs without another word, and old Burge, who was coming
down, came down five of 'em at once owing to Dixon speaking to 'im afore
he knew who 'e was. The old man was still grumbling when Dixon came down
agin, and said he believed he'd done it a-purpose.

"You run away from a good 'ome," he ses, "and the best wife in Wapping,
and you come back and frighten people 'arf out o' their lives. I never
see such a feller in all my born days."

"I was so glad to get 'ome agin I didn't think," ses Dixon. "I hope
you're not 'urt."

He started telling them all about his 'ardships while they were at tea,
but none of 'em seemed to care much about hearing 'em. Bob said that the
sea was all right for men, and that other people were sure not to like
it.

"And you brought it all on yourself," ses Charlie. "You've only got
yourself to thank for it. I 'ad thought o' picking a bone with you over
those letters you wrote."

"Let's 'ope 'e's come back more sensible than wot 'e was when 'e went
away," ses old Burge, with 'is mouth full o' toast.

By the time he'd been back a couple o' days George Dixon could see that
'is going away 'adn't done any good at all. Nobody seemed to take any
notice of 'im or wot he said, and at last, arter a word or two with
Charlie about the rough way he spoke to some o' the customers, Charlie
came in to Mrs. Dixon and said that he was at 'is old tricks of
interfering, and he would not 'ave it.

"Well, he'd better keep out o' the bar altogether," ses Mrs. Dixon.
"There's no need for 'im to go there; we managed all right while 'e was
away."

"Do you mean I'm not to go into my own bar?" ses Dixon, stammering.

"Yes, I do," ses Mrs. Dixon. "You kept out of it for four years to
please yourself, and now you can keep out of it to please me."

"I've put you out o' the bar before," ses Charlie, "and if you come
messing about with me any more I'll do it agin. So now you know."

He walked back into the bar whistling, and George Dixon, arter sitting
still for a long time thinking, got up and went into the bar, and he'd
'ardly got his foot inside afore Charlie caught 'old of 'im by the
shoulder and shoved 'im back into the parlour agin.

"I told you w