“’As she got ’er eye on you, though?” queried Horace, sagely.
“She ’as. In fact, not to beat about the bush, both of ’em ’as!”
“Both of ’em?” queried Horace.
“There’s two parties,” explained the master of the ‘Alert.’ “I’m keeping my eye upon both of ’em.”
“Once I ’ad my eye on two parties at the same time,” recalled Mr. Dobb. “One day they got introduced to each other. And I went ’ome in a cab.”
“My two ’ave known each other all their lives.”
“Well, they won’t go on knowing each other much longer,” acutely prophesied Mr. Dobb.
“And they lives together in the same ’ouse.”
“If you’ll excuse me saying so,” observed Horace, civilly, “you’ve got a dashed sight more pluck than sense. Two in the some town is bad enough for the ’eart, with all the excitement you get in turning a corner when you’re out with one of ’em. But two in the same ’ouse—”
“It’s mother and daughter, you see,” elucidated Captain Gooster. “Goffley is the name. Mrs. Goffley is a widow, and Ann’s ’er daughter. They live in Shorehaven ’ere.”