"Sir,—We beg to inform you that our Hamburgh vessel in which you have done us the favour to take passage, will not sail until to-morrow night at four, God willing, and that consequently there will be no occasion for your coming on board earlier.—We are, sir,
"Your obedient servants,
"Brown, Buggins, Muggs, and Screamer."
"To Mr. S. Todd."
Todd ground his teeth together in a horrible manner. He dashed the letter to the floor, and stamped upon it.
"Curse Brown and Buggins!" he cried. "I only wish I could dash out Muggs and Screamer's brains with Brown and Buggins's skulls. Confound them and their ships. May they all go to the bottom when I am out of them, and be smashed and d—d!"
Johanna was amazed at this sudden torrent of wrath. She could not imagine what had produced it, for Todd had read the letter in a muttering tone, that effectually prevented her from hearing any of it.
Suddenly he rose and rushed into the back room, and bolted the door upon himself. He went to think what was best to be done.
When he was alone he read both the letters again, and then he burst out into such a torrent of wrath against the ship-owners, that it was a mercy Johanna's ears were spared the dreadful words that came from his lips.
Suddenly he saw a postscript at the foot of the ship-owner's letter, which he had at first overlooked.