"Why, Cap'en Kemp," he went on, "this is what I say a phenomenal coincidence; rather unique, in fact. Why, you'll 'ardly believe as I was a thinkin' o' you not 'arf an hour ago, scarcely! Now you wouldn't 'a' thought that, would ye?"
There was a twinkle in Grandfather Nat's eye. "All depends," he said.
"Comin' along from the mortuary, I see somethink——"
"Ah, something in the mortuary, no doubt," my grandfather interrupted, quizzically. "Well, what was in the mortuary? I bet there was a corpse in the mortuary."
"Quite correct, Cap'en Kemp, so there was; three of 'em, an' a very sad sight; decimated, Cap'en Kemp, by the watery element. But it wasn't them I was——"
"What! It wasn't a corpse as reminded you of me? That's rum. Then I expect somebody told you some more about Viney and Marr. Come, what's the latest about Viney an' Marr? Tell us about that."
Grandfather Nat was humorously bent on driving Mr. Cripps from his mark, and Mr. Cripps deferred. "Well, it's certainly a topic," he said, "a universal topic. Crooks the ship-chandler's done for, they say—unsolvent. The Minerva's reported off Prawle Point in to-day's list, an' they say as she'll be sold up as soon as she's moored. But there—she's hypotenused, Cap'en Kemp; pawned, as you might say; up the flue. It's a matter o' gen'ral information that she's pawned up to 'er r'yals—up to 'er main r'yals, sir. Which reminds me, speakin' o' r'yals, there's a timber-shop just along by the mortuary——"
"Ah, no doubt," Grandfather Nat interrupted, "they must put 'em somewhere. Any news o' the Juno?"
"No, sir, she ain't reported; not doo Barbadoes yet, or mail not in, any'ow. They'll sell 'er too, but the creditors won't get none of it. She's hypotenused as deep as the other—up to her r'yals; an' there's nothin' else to sell. So it's the gen'ral opinion there won't be much to divide, Marr 'avin' absconded with the proceeds. An' as regards what I was agoin' to——"
"Yes, you was goin' to tell me some more about Marr, I expect," my grandfather persisted. "Heard where he's gone?"