"'Well,' I ses, 'ardly knowing wot to make of 'er, 'she ought to be up this tide; but there's no reckoning on wot an old washtub with a engine like a sewing-machine inside 'er will do.'
"'Oh, indeed!' she ses, leaving off smiling very sudden. 'Oh, indeed! My husband might 'ave something to say about that.'
"'Your 'usband?' I ses.
"'Captain Pratt,' she ses, drawing 'erself up. 'I'm Mrs. Pratt. He left yesterday morning, and I've come up 'ere by train to give 'im a little surprise.'
"You might ha' knocked me down with a feather, and I stood there staring at her with my mouth open, trying to think.
"'Take care,' I ses at last. 'Take care as you don't give 'im too much of a surprise!'
"'Wot do you mean?' she ses, firing up.
"'Nothing,' I ses. 'Nothing, only I've known 'usbands in my time as didn't like being surprised—that's all. If you take my advice, you'll go straight back home agin.'
"'I'll tell 'im wot you say,' she ses, 'as soon as 'is ship comes in.'
"That's a woman all over; the moment they get into a temper they want to hurt somebody; and I made up my mind at once that, if anybody was going to be 'urt, it wasn't me. And, besides, I thought it might be for the skipper's good—in the long run.