'
"'Oh, indeed!' she ses, leaving off smiling very sudden. 'Oh, indeed!
My husband might 'ave something to say about that.'
"'Your 'usband?' I ses.
"'Captain Pratt,' she ses, drawing 'erself up. 'I'm Mrs. Pratt. He left
yesterday morning, and I've come up 'ere by train to give 'im a little
surprise.'
"You might ha' knocked me down with a feather, and I stood there staring
at her with my mouth open, trying to think.
"'Take care,' I ses at last. 'Take care as you don't give 'im too much
of a surprise!'
"'Wot do you mean?' she ses, firing up.
"'Nothing,' I ses. 'Nothing, only I've known 'usbands in my time as
didn't like being surprised--that's all. If you take my advice, you'll
go straight back home agin.'
"'I'll tell 'im wot you say,' she ses, 'as soon as 'is ship comes in.'
"That's a woman all over; the moment they get into a temper they want to
hurt somebody; and I made up my mind at once that, if anybody was going
to be 'urt, it wasn't me. And, besides, I thought it might be for the
skipper's good--in the long run.
"I broke it to her as gentle as I could. I didn't tell 'er much, I just
gave her a few 'ints. Just enough to make her ask for more.
"'And mind,' I ses, 'I don't want to be brought into it. If you should
'appen to take a fancy into your 'ed to wait behind a pile of empties
till the ship comes in, and then slip out and foller your 'usband and
give 'im the little surprise you spoke of, it's nothing to do with me.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25