A FINE October gave way to a damp and dreary November; a month of mists and fogs, in which shipping of all sizes and all nations played blind man’s buff at sea, and felt their way, mere voices crying in the wilderness, up and down the river. The Swallow, with a soul too large for its body, cannoned a first-class battleship off the Medway, and with a thoughtfulness too often lacking at sea, stood by and lowered a boat, whereupon the captain, who had been worrying about his paint, invented, in his surprise, a brand-new adjective for the use of senior officers of the British Navy.
Over three months had elapsed since the Golden Cloud set out on her long voyage; three months during which Fraser, despite his better sense, had been a constant visitor of Poppy Tyrell’s, and had assisted her in the search for fresh lodgings to avoid the attentions of Mr. Bob Wheeler, who, having discovered her whereabouts, had chosen to renew his suit.
On two or three occasions the girl had accompanied him on board the steamer, and at such times it was Mr. Green’s pleasure to wink in a frenzied manner at Mr. Joe Smith and to make divers bets of pints of beer, which made that thirsty soul half crazy to listen to. He also said that any one with half an eye could see what was in the wind.
“And a very nice couple they’ll make, too,” said Joe, solemnly.
“An’ what about Cap’in Flower?” suggested Mr. Green; “she’s evident the young lady he was talking about that night, and Tommy’s heard ’em speaking about him once or twice, too.”
Joe shuffled uneasily. He was beginning to entertain a considerable regard for his new skipper, dating from the time he discovered that his sinister suspicions concerning him were unfounded. He had moreover conceived a dog-like admiration for Poppy Tyrell.
“That’s ’is business,” he said, shortly; “judging by what you ’eard in that pub, Cap’in Flower knows where to put ’is hand on one or two more if ’e wants ’em.”
He walked off in dudgeon, ignoring a question by Mr. Green as to whose foot kep’ the door open, and felt dimly the force of the diction that no man can serve two masters; and, with a view to saving himself worry, dismissed the matter from his mind until some weeks afterwards it was forcibly revived by the perusal of a newspaper which the engineer had brought on board. Without giving himself time for due reflection, he ran up on deck and approached the skipper.
“Golden Cloud’s in the paper as overdue, sir,” he said, respectfully.
“What is?” enquired Fraser, sharply.