“More do we,” said Habakkuk with a sniff, and the talk drifted to other channels.
Blueneck was feeling that perhaps the world was not so dreary a place as he had imagined, when the door burst open, and young Tant Pullen rushed in without a hat and very breathless. He looked round the room for a moment as though searching for someone. At last his quick bright eyes fell upon Blueneck and he darted over to him.
“Look out you, get out of here and hide quick,” he gasped as well as he could for lack of breath.
The Spanish sailor looked at him in surprise, and the rest of the company, seeing that something was afoot, turned to listen.
Tant took the sailor by the collar when he saw that the man did not move.
“Quick, hurry, or he’ll get you,” he said.
Blueneck opened his mouth in astonishment.
“Why—what?” he ejaculated.
Tant took a deep breath.
“My mother’s bin beatin’ my father, because he said that she’d took presents from strangers,” he volunteered. The company began to laugh and Blueneck still looked bewildered.