Dent, who had come up to Will, tossed the boy a half-penny, and then began to laugh heartily, at the rapid contortions of the little acrobat.
"Stop that!" said Will, angrily.
He stepped into the middle of the crowd, and caught the revolving boy suddenly by his shoulder.
"You have no call to be out at this hour, Nat—nor you neither, Thady. What will your sister say when she finds you not in? Bad boys—run home this minute. This ain't what your mother would have liked; and you know it."
The boy called Thady, otherwise the captain, raised his blue eyes, now swimming in tears, to Will's face.
"We was that 'nngry," he said. "And Bet were out. Yer's a lot of coppers; we'll do now. Come along home, Gen'ral."
The two scampered away, flying with their bare feet along the slippery streets, and in a moment were out of sight.
Dent stared hard at Will, whose face showed some agitation.
"So those are the two little Granger lads," he said. "Well, I tell you what-their sister's far and away the handsomest girl in Liverpool."
"She's well enough," said Will, shortly. "The boys had no call to be out so late—and to-night of all nights. Their mother is lying dead, and Bet's in trouble. Good-night, Dent. I ha' made up my mind to sail in the `Good Queen Anne.' I won't trouble you to come home with me, although I'm obleeged for your offer."