n it." And Mr. Wilkinson gave her another glass of porter.

Before they reached Malta, all the passengers from India had agreed
that Mrs. Cox and Bertram would certainly make a match of it, and
that Wilkinson was also in danger.

"Did you ever see such flirts?" said Mrs. Bangster to Dr.
O'Shaughnessey. "What an escape Biffin has had!"

"She is a deuced pretty woman, Mrs. Bangster; and I'll tell you what:
Biffin would give one of his eyes to get her back again if he could."

"Laws, doctor! You don't mean to tell me that he ever meant to marry
that thing?"

"I don't know what he meant before; but he would mean it now, if he
got the opportunity."

Here Captain M'Gramm joined them. "Well, Mac," said the doctor, "what
news with the widow?"

"Widow! they'd all be widows if they could, I believe."

"Indeed, I wouldn't, for one," said Mrs. Bangster. "B. is a deal too
well off where he is. Ha! ha! ha!"

"But what about Mrs. Price--eh, Mac?" continued the doctor.

"There she is. You'd better go and ask her yourself. You don't
suppose I ever cared about such a woman as that? Only I do say this:
if she goes on behaving herself in that way, some one ought to speak
to the captain."

But Mrs. Cox and Mrs. Price went on their own way, heeding such
menaces not at all; and by the time they had reached Malta, they
had told the whole history of their lives to the two gentlemen--and
perhaps something more.

At Malta they remained about six hours, and the four dined on shore
together. Bertram bought for them Maltese veils and bad cameos; and
Wilkinson, misled by such an example, was forced to do the same.
These treasures were not hidden under a bushel when they returned to
the ship; and Dr. O'Shaughnessey, Mrs. Bangster, the fat judge, and
a host of others, were more sure than ever that both the widows were
re-engaged.

And Arthur Wilkinson was becoming frightened in his mind. "Upon my
word," said he, as he and George were walking the deck at sunrise the
next morning, "upon my word, I am getting very tired of this woman,
and I really think we are making a show of ourselves."

"Making a show of ourselves! What do you mean?"

"Why, walking with them every day, and always sitting next to them."

"As to sitting next to them, we can't help that. Everybody always
sits in the same place, and one must sit next some one; and it
wouldn't be kind to leave them to walk alone."

"I think we may overdo it, you know."

"Ah, well," s