"She sat there as quiet as a cat watching a mouse'ole, and I was going on
with my work, stopping every now and then to look and see whether the
Monarch was in sight, when I 'appened to turn round and see the office-
boy standing on the edge of the wharf with his back to the empties,
looking down at the water. I nearly dropped my broom.
"''Ullo!' I ses, going up to 'im. 'I thought you 'ad gorn 'ome.'
"'I was going,' he ses, with a nasty oily little smile, 'and then it
struck me all of a sudden 'ow lonely it was for you all alone 'ere, and I
come back to keep you company.'
"He winked at something acrost the river as 'e spoke, and I stood there
thinking my 'ardest wot was the best thing to be done. I couldn't get
Mrs. Pratt away while 'e was there; besides which I felt quite sartain
she wouldn't go. The only 'ope I 'ad was that he'd get tired of spying
on me and go away before he found out she was 'iding on the wharf.
"I walked off in a unconcerned way--not too far--and, with one eye on 'im
and the other on where Mrs. Pratt was 'iding, went on with my work.
There's nothing like 'ard work when a man is worried, and I was a'most
forgetting my troubles, when I looked up and saw the Monarch coming up
the river.
"She turned to come into 'er berth, with the skipper shouting away on the
bridge and making as much fuss as if 'e was berthing a liner. I helped
to make 'er fast, and the skipper, arter 'e had 'ad a good look round to
see wot 'e could find fault with, went below to clean 'imself.
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