As he spoke he selected a coloured hat with a very high crown and poised it on his head, opposite a looking-glass.
'I never 'ad no 'igh 'at to wear afore, an' I ain't a-goin' t' throw this chance away,' said Tom.—'Look at that, Bob Reid,' he continued, as he surveyed himself in the glass and strutted to and fro. 'See 'ow it sets off yer figger, me lad!'
Gerald smiled, and was turning away, when Tom suddenly threw the hat on one side, and, looking very serious, said, 'Mr Gerald, I wants a wurd wi' ye. Ye knows as we was nearly run down a while since a-comin' up 'ere?'
'Yes, Tom. Well?'
'D' ye know who was in that blunderin' pirate as tried t' send us rattlin' down on the rocks below?'
'No, I saw no one. It was a strange-looking craft, and seemed to have no one on board; though, I suppose, the people were really boxed up and out of sight.'
Tom looked cautiously round, as if doubtful whether there were any hidden listeners. Then he came close to Gerald, and said in a whisper, 'But I see one on 'em! 'E were a-peepin' out o' a porthole! Nobody but me was lookin', an' as soon as 'e see me 'e bobbed back.'
'Well, who was it?' Gerald asked, impressed by Tom's manner. 'Any one we—you or I—know?'
Tom nodded portentously.
'Ay, ay, sir; one who ain't no frien' o' yourn—the one ye call the Ogre—an' a jolly good name for 'im too!'