“That’ll do,” said the sergeant-major,
rising hastily and drawing himself up to his full
height.
“You asked me,” said Mr. Farrer, in an
aggrieved voice.
“I know I did,” said the sergeant-major,
breathing heavily. “I know I did; but
if I sit here listening to any more of your lies I
shall be ill. The best thing you can do is to
take that giggling girl out and give her a breath
of fresh air. I have done with her.”
A lad of about twenty stepped ashore from the schooner
Jane, and joining a girl, who had been avoiding for
some ten minutes the ardent gaze of the night-watchman,
set off arm-in-arm. The watchman rolled his eyes
and shook his head slowly.
Nearly all his money on ’is back, he said, and
what little bit ’e’s got over he’ll
spend on ’er. And three months arter they’re
married he’ll wonder wot ’e ever saw in
her. If a man marries he wishes he ’adn’t,
and if he doesn’t marry he wishes he ’ad.
That’s life.
Looking at them two young fools reminds me of a nevy
of Sam Small’s; a man I think I’ve spoke
to you of afore. As a rule Sam didn’t talk
much about ’is relations, but there was a sister
of ’is in the country wot ’e was rather
fond of because ’e ’adn’t seen ’er
for twenty years. She ’ad got a boy wot
’ad just got a job in London, and when ’e
wrote and told ’er he was keeping company with
the handsomest and loveliest and best ’arted
gal in the whole wide world, she wrote to Sam about
it and asked ’im to give ’is nevy some
good advice.
Sam ’ad just got back from China and was living
with Peter Russet and Ginger Dick as usual, and arter
reading the letter about seven times and asking Ginger
how ’e spelt “minx,” ’e read
the letter out loud to them and asked ’em what
they thought about it.
Ginger shook his ’ead, and, arter thinking a
bit, Peter shook his too.
“She’s caught ’im rather young,”
ses Ginger.
“They get it bad at that age too,” ses
Peter. “When I was twenty, there was a
gal as I was fond of, and a regiment couldn’t
ha’ parted us.”
“Wot did part you then?” ses Sam.
“Another gal,” ses Peter; “a gal
I took a fancy to, that’s wot did it.”
“I was nearly married when I was twenty,”
ses Ginger, with a far-away look in his eyes.
“She was the most beautiful gal I ever saw in
my life; she ’ad one ’undred pounds a
year of ’er own and she couldn’t bear
me out of her sight. If a thump acrost the chest
would do that cough of yours any good, Sam—”
“Don’t take no notice of ’im, Ginger,”
ses Peter. “Why didn’t you marry
’er?”
“’Cos I was afraid she might think I was
arter ’er money,” ses Ginger, getting
a little bit closer to Sam.
Peter ’ad another turn then, and him and Ginger
kept on talking about gals whose ’arts they
’ad broke till Sam didn’t know what to
do with ’imself.
