W. W. Jacobs

“ The skipper, watching uneasily, stood by with a lifebelt.
“Come out, Ted,” screamed his sister as he came up for breath again.
The mate disappeared once more, but coming up for the third time, hung on to the side of the barge to recover a bit. A clothed man in the water savours of disaster and looks alarming. Miss Harris began to cry.
“You’ll be drowned,” she whimpered.
“Come out,” said Mrs. Gibbs, in a raspy voice. She knelt on the deck and twined her fingers in his hair. The mate addressed her in terms rendered brotherly by pain. ”

“ Then he took out his handkerchief as though to wipe the sword, and thinking better of it, put it back into his pocket again, and threw the weapon on to the floor.
Burleigh, with a feeling of nausea, drew back toward the door. The body of Fletcher lay where it had fallen, the white face turned up to the gas. In life he had been a commonplace-looking man, not to say vulgar; now Burleigh, with a feeling of nausea, drew back toward the door, until the body was hidden by the table, and relieved from the sight, he could think more clearly. ”

“ He leaned there for some time without moving, a light breeze cooling his fevered brow, and a small schooner some little distance from them playing seesaw, as he closed his eyes to the heaving blue sea. Land was conspicuous by its absence, and with a groan he turned and looked about him—at the white scrubbed deck, the snowy canvas towering aloft on lazily creaking spars, and the steersman leaning against the wheel regarding the officer who stood near by.
Dr. Carson, feeling a little better, walked sternly aft, the officer turning round and glancing in surprise at his rags as he approached. ”

“ It is an old adage that money makes friends; the carpenter was surprised to find that the mere fact of his having a moneyed relation had the same effect, and that men to whom he had hitherto shown a certain amount of respect due to their position now sought his company. They stood him beer at the “Bell,” and walked by his side through the street. When they took to dropping in of an evening to smoke a pipe the carpenter was radiant with happiness. ”

“ The constable turned round in amaze; Burleigh sprang toward him furiously.
“Take these things off!” he choked. “Have you gone mad? Take them off!”
“All in good time,” said the sergeant.
“Take them off!” cried Burleigh again.
For answer the sergeant took him in a powerful grip, and staring steadily at his white face and gleaming eyes, forced him to the other end of the room and pushed him into a chair.
“Collins,” he said, sharply.
“Sir?” said the astonished subordinate.
“Run to the doctor at the corner hard as you can run!” said the other. “This man is not dead!” ”

“ Breakfast was laid for him in the coffee-room, and his brow darkened. He walked into the hall, and after trying various doors entered a small sitting-room, where his host and daughter sat at breakfast, and with an easy assurance drew a chair to the table. The innkeeper helped him without a word, but the girl’s hand shook under his gaze as she passed him some coffee.
“As soft a bed as ever I slept in,” he remarked.
“I hope that you slept well,” said the girl, civilly.
“Like a child,” said Gunn, gravely; “an easy conscience. Eh, Mullet?” ”

“ Mr. Negget was the last to go to bed that night, and finishing his pipe over the dying fire, sat for some time in deep thought. He had from the first raised objections to the presence of Mr. Bodfish at the farm, but family affection, coupled with an idea of testamentary benefits, had so wrought with his wife that he had allowed her to have her own way. Now he half fancied that he saw a chance of getting rid of him. If he could only enable the widow to catch him searching her house, it was highly probable that the ex-constable would find the village somewhat too hot to hold him. ”

“ Pullen.” “You get younger than ever, Mrs. Pullen,” said Wiggett, the conversation having turned upon ages.
“Young ain’t the word for it,” said Miller, with a praiseworthy determination not to be left behind.
“No; it’s age as you’re thinking of, Mr. Wiggett,” said the carpenter, slowly; “none of us gets younger, do we, Ann?”
“Some of us keeps young in our ways,” said Mrs. Pullen, somewhat shortly. ”

“ Negget smashed on the floor, and the farmer himself, with every appearance of astonishment, stared at the apparition open-mouthed.
“Mr.—Bodfish!” he said at length, slowly.
Mr. Bodfish, incapable of speech, glared at him ferociously.
“Leave him alone,” said Mrs. Clowes, who was ministering to her friend. “Can’t you see the man’s upset at frightening her? She’s coming round, Mr. Bodfish; don’t be alarmed.”
“Very good,” said the farmer, who found his injured relative’s gaze somewhat trying. “I’ll go, and leave him to explain to Mrs. Driver why he was hidden in her larder. ”

“ The doctor sent the boy to apprise the third officer of his responsibilities, and then stood watching the extraordinary and snakelike convolutions of Mr. Mackenzie.
“How much—did—ye say?” hissed the latter.
“Poor people,” repeated the doctor, with relish, “five shillings a visit; very poor people, half a crown.”
“I’ll have half a crown’s worth,” moaned the miserable mate.
“Mr. Mackenzie,” said a faint voice from the skipper’s cabin. ”

“ In the smell of bilge-water, tar, and the foetid atmosphere generally his clouded brain awoke to the fact that he was on board ship, but resolutely declined to inform him how he got there. He looked down in disgust at the ragged clothes which he had on in lieu of the usual pajamas; and then, as events slowly pieced themselves together in his mind, remembered, as the last thing that he could remember, that he had warned his friend Harry Thomson, solicitor, that if he had any more to drink it would not be good for him. ”

“ The master led the way to the cabin, and lighting a lamp, which appealed to more senses than one, took a seat on a locker, and again requested the other to fire away.
“Well, you see, it’s this way,” began the mate, with a preliminary wriggle: “there’s a certain young woman—”
“A certain young what?” shouted the master of the Arabella.
“Woman,” repeated the mate, snappishly; “you’ve heard of a woman afore, haven’t you? Well, there’s a certain young woman I’m walking out with I—”
“Walking out?” gasped the skipper. ”

“ Halloa! what’s the matter?”
“It’s the skipper,” said the boy, who had just run up; “he wants to see you at once. He’s dying.”
He caught hold of the doctor by the sleeve; but Carson, in his most professional manner, declined to be hurried. He went leisurely down the companion-ladder, and met with a careless glance the concerned faces of the mate and second officer.
“Come to the skipper at once,” said the mate.
“Does he want to see me?” said the doctor, languidly, as he entered the cabin.
The skipper was lying doubled up in his bunk, his face twisted with pain. ”

“ Thomson was at first incredulous, but his eyes glistened brightly at the sight of the half-sovereign.
“Better hide it,” he said, apprehensively; “the skipper’ll have it back when he gets well; it’s the only coin we’ve got.”
“He won’t get well,” said Dr. Carson, easily; “not till we get to Hong-kong, that is.”
“What’s the matter with him?” whispered the solicitor.
The doctor, evading his eye, pulled a long face and shook his head. “It may be the cooking,” he said, slowly. “I’m not a good cook, I admit. It might be something got into the food from the medicine-chest. ”

“ Driver and her friend appeared in the front room, and the farmer, with a keen glance at the door of the larder which had just closed, took a chair while his hostess drew a glass of beer from the barrel in the kitchen.
Mr. Negget drank gratefully and praised the brew. From beer the conversation turned naturally to the police, and from the police to the listening Mr. Bodfish, who was economizing space by sitting on the bread-pan, and trembling with agitation.
“He’s a lonely man,” said Negget, shaking his head and glancing from the corner of his eye at the door of the larder. ”

“ Wish to be an emperor, father, to begin with; then you can’t be henpecked.”
He darted round the table, pursued by the maligned Mrs. White armed with an antimacassar.
Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. “I don’t know what to wish for, and that’s a fact,” he said, slowly. “It seems to me I’ve got all I want.”
“If you only cleared the house, you’d be quite happy, wouldn’t you?” said Herbert, with his hand on his shoulder. “Well, wish for two hundred pounds, then; that’ll just do it.” ”

“ Mackenzie,” said Carson, turning to the mate; “and be good enough not to make that snuffling noise; it’s worrying to an invalid.”
“Snuffling noise?” repeated the horror-struck mate.
“Yes; you’ve got an unpleasant habit of snuffling,” said the doctor; “it sometimes. I worries me meant to speak to you about it before. You mustn’t do it here. If you want to snuffle, go and snuffle on deck.”
The frenzied outburst of the mate was interrupted by the skipper. “Don’t make that noise in my cabin, Mr. Mackenzie,” he said, severely. ”

“ By the time dinner was ready he was in a state of sullen apathy, and when the meal was over and the couple came on deck again, so far forgot himself as to compliment Miss Harris upon her appetite.
“I’m ashamed of you, Ted,” said the skipper, with severity.
“I’m glad you know what shame is,” retorted the mate.
“If you can’t be’ave yourself, you’d better keep a bit for’ard till you get in a better temper,” continued the skipper.
“I’ll be pleased to,” said the smarting mate. “I wish the barge was longer.” ”

“ Rogers, being approached tentatively by the doctor in his friend’s behalf, shook his head and thanked his stars he had nothing to leave. He had enjoyed his money, he said.
They mended slowly as they approached Hong-kong, though a fit of temper on Mr. Mackenzie’s part, during which he threw out ominous hints about having his money back, led to a regrettable relapse in his case. He was still in bed when they came to anchor in the harbour; but the skipper and his second officer were able to go above and exchange congratulations from adjoining deck-chairs. ”

“ Lawyers don’t play jokes; their time’s too valuable. No, you’re an heiress all right, Ann, and I wish you joy. I couldn’t be more pleased if it was myself.”
She kissed her again, and going to pat her back once more, discovered that she had sunk down sufficiently low in her chair to obtain the protection of its back.
“Two thousand pounds,” said Mrs. Pullen, in an awestruck voice.
“Ten hundered pounds twice over,” said the carpenter, mouthing it slowly; “twenty hundered pounds.” ”

“ The innkeeper, without a word, drew a little gold and silver from his pocket, and placing it on the table, pushed it toward him.
“Enough to go on with,” said the other, pocketing it; “in future it is halves. D’ye hear me? Halves! And I’ll stay here and see I get it.”
He sat back in his chair, and meeting the other’s hatred with a gaze as steady as his own, replaced his pistol.
“A nice snug harbor after our many voyages,” he continued. “Shipmates we were, shipmates we’ll be; while Nick Gunn is alive you shall never want for company. Lord! ”

“ Mr. Miller shook his head, and said he thought they would have known him better.
“Of course it is a great loss,” said the carpenter. “Money is money.”
“That’s all it is, though,” said the slightly mystified Mr. Miller.
“What I can’t understand is,” continued the carpenter, “’ow the news got about. Why, the neighbours knew of it a couple of hours before we did.”
The dealer hid a grin. Then he looked a bit bewildered again.
“I assure you,” said the carpenter, “it was known in the town at least a couple of hours before we got the letter.” ”

“ Tidger.
“Smoke his pipe,” was the reply. “Why, what’s the matter, Polly?”
Mrs. Tidger sniffed derisively. “You men are all alike,” she snapped. “What do you think Ann wears that pink bodice for?”
“I never noticed she ’ad a pink bodice, Polly,” said the carpenter.
“No? That’s what I say. You men never notice anything,” said his wife. “If you don’t send them two old fools off, I will.”
“Don’t you like ’em to see Ann wearing pink?” ”

“ Miss Harris started. “Where’s that?” she inquired.
“Other end o’ the boat,” replied the mate, gathering up some bedding under his arm. “You might bring a lantern, John.”
The skipper, who was feeling more sociable after a couple of glasses of beer, complied, and accompanied the couple to the tiny forecastle. A smell compounded of bilge, tar, paint, and other healthy disinfectants emerged as the scuttle was pushed back. The skipper dangled the lantern down and almost smiled.
“I can’t sleep there,” said the girl, with decision. “I shall die o’ fright.” ”

“ Driver,” said his niece, shaking her head; “but then in these days one never knows what might happen. Never. I’ve given up thinking about it. However, when I came back, Mrs. Driver was here, sitting in that very chair you are sitting in now.”
Mr. Bodfish pursed up his lips and made another note. Then he took a spill from the fireplace, and lighting a candle, went slowly and carefully up the stairs. He found nothing on them but two caked rims of mud, and being too busy to notice Mr. Negget’s frantic signalling, called his niece’s attention to them. ”

“ They played two, both of which the diplomatic Halibut lost; then Mrs. Riddel, dismissing him as incompetent, sat drumming on the table with her fingers, and at length challenged the Major. She lost the first game easily, and began the second badly. Finally, after hastily glancing at a new hand, she flung the cards petulantly on the table, face downward.
“Would you like my hand, Major Brill?” she demanded, with a blush.
“Better than anything in the world,” cried the Major, eagerly. ”

“ Halibut assenting, they walked back together. The feverish joy of the gambler showed in the Major’s eye as they drew their chairs up to the little antique chess table and began to place their pieces ready for the fray. Then a thought struck him, and he crossed over to the sideboard.
“If you’re feeling a bit off colour, Halibut,” he said, kindly, “you’d better have a little brandy to pull yourself together. I don’t wish to take a mean advantage.” ”