They didnt leave im alone till they knew as much about it as he could tell em, and they both of em told im that if he took a reward of thirty pounds for it, instead of selling it for a undred, he was a bigger fool than he looked.
I shall turn it over in my mind, ses Sam, sucking is teeth. When I want your advice Ill ask you for it.
We wasnt thinking of you, ses Ginger; we was thinking of ourselves.
You! ses Sam, with a bit of a start. Wots it got to do with you?
Our sharell be bigger, thats all, ses Ginger.
Much bigger, ses Peter. I couldnt dream of letting it go at thirty. Its chucking money away. Why, we might get two undred for it. Who knows?
Sam sat on the edge of is bed like a man in a dream, then e began to make a noise like a cat with a fish-bone in its throat, and then e stood up and let fly.
Dont stop im, Peter, ses Ginger. Let im go on; itll do him good.
Hes forgot all about that penknife you picked up and went shares in, ses Peter. I wouldnt be mean for twenty lockets.
Nor me neither, ses Ginger. But we wont let im be meanfor is own sake. Well ave our rights.
Rights! ses Sam. Rights! You didnt find it.
We always go shares if we find anything, ses Ginger. Wheres your memory, Sam? But I didnt find it, ses Sam.
No, you bought it, ses Peter, and if you dont go shares well split on yousee? Then you cant sell it anyway, and perhaps you wont even get the reward. We can be at Orange Villa as soon as wot you can.
Sooner, ses Ginger, nodding. But theres no need to do that. If e dont go shares Ill slip round to the police-station fust thing in the morning.
You know the way there all right, ses Sam, very bitter.
And we dont want none o your back-answers, ses Ginger. Are you going shares or not?
Wot about the money I paid for it? ses Sam, and my trouble?
Ginger and Peter sat down on the bed to talk it over, and at last, arter calling themselves a lot o bad names for being too kind-earted, they offered im five pounds each for their share in the locket.
And that means youve got your share for next to nothing, Sam, ses Ginger.
Some people wouldnt ave given you any-thing, ses Peter.
Sam gave way at last, and then e stood by making nasty remarks while Ginger wrote out a paper for them all to sign, because he said he had known Sam such a long time.
It was amost daylight afore they got to sleep, and the fust thing Ginger did when he woke was to wake Sam up, and offer to shake ands with him. The noise woke Peter up, and, as Sam wouldnt shake ands with im either, they both patted him on the back instead.
They made him take em to the little pub, arter breakfast, to read the bill about the reward. Sam didnt mind going, as it appened, as he oped to meet is new pal there and tell im his troubles, but, though they stayed there some time, e didnt turn up. He wasnt at the coffee-shop for dinner, neither.
Peter and Ginger was in igh spirits, and, though Sam told em plain that he would sooner walk about with a couple of real pickpockets, they wouldnt leave im an inch.
Anybody could steal it off of you, Sam, ses Ginger, patting im on the weskit to make sure the locket was still there. Its a good job youve got us to look arter you.
We must buy im a money-belt with a pocket in it, ses Peter.
Ginger nodded at im. Yes, he ses, that would be safer. And hed better wear it next to is skin, with everything over it. I should feel more comfortable then.
And wot about me? says Sam, turning on im.
Well, well take it in turns, ses Ginger. You one day, and then me, and then Peter.
Sam gave way at last, as arter all he could see it was the safest thing to do, but he ad so much to say about it that they got fair sick of the sound of is voice. They ad to go ome for im to put the belt on; and then at seven oclock in the evening, arter Sam had ad two or three pints, they had to go ome agin, cos he was complaining of tight-lacing.
Ginger had it on next day and he went ome five times. The other two went with im in case he lost imself, and stood there making nasty remarks while he messed imself up with a pennorth of cold cream. It was a cheap belt, and pore Ginger said that, when they ad done with it, it would come in handy for sand-paper.
Peter didnt like it any better than the other two did, and twice they ad to speak to im about stopping in the street and trying to make imself more comfortable by wriggling. Sam said people misunderstood it.
Arter that they agreed to wear it outside their shirt, and even then Ginger said it scratched im. And every day they got more and more worried about wot was the best thing to do with the locket, and whether it would be safe to try and sell it. The idea o walking about with a fortune in their pockets that they couldnt spend amost drove em crazy.
The longer we keep it, the safer itll be, ses Sam, as they was walking down Hounds-ditch one day.
Well sell it when Im sixty, ses Ginger, nasty-like.
Then old Sam wont be ere to have is share, ses Peter.
Sam was just going to answer em back, when he stopped and began to smile instead. Straight in front of im was the gentleman he ad met in the coffee-shop, coming along with another man, and he just ad time to see that it was the docker who ad sold him the locket, when they both saw im. They turned like a flash, and, afore Sam could get is breath, bolted up a little alley and disappeared.
Wots the row? ses Ginger, staring.
Sam didnt answer im. He stood there struck all of a heap.
Do you know em? ses Peter.
Sam couldnt answer im for a time. He was doing a bit of ard thinking.
Chap I ad a row with the other night, he ses, at last.
He walked on very thoughtful, and the more e thought, the less e liked it. He was so pale that Ginger thought e was ill and advised im to ave a drop o brandy. Peter recommended rum, so to please em he ad both. It brought is colour back, but not is cheerfulness.
He gave em both the slip next morning; which was easy, as Ginger was wearing the locket, and, arter fust aving a long ride for nothing owing to getting in the wrong train, he got to Barnet.
It was a big place; big enough to ave a dozen Orange Villas, but pore Sam couldnt find one. It wasnt for want of trying neither.
He asked at over twenty shops, and the post-office, and even went to the police-station. He must ha walked six or seven miles looking for it, and at last, arf ready to drop, e took the train back.
He ad some sausages and mashed potatoes with a pint o stout at a place in Bishopsgate, and then e started to walk ome. The only comfort he ad was the thought of the ten pounds Ginger and Peter ad paid im; and when he remembered that he began to cheer up and even smile. By the time he got ome e was beaming all over is face.
Whereve you been? ses Ginger.
Enjoying myself by myself, ses Sam.
Please yourself, ses Peter, very severe, but whered you ha been if we ad sold the locket and skipped, eh?
You wouldnt ave enjoyed yourself by yourself then, ses Ginger. Yes, you may laugh!
Sam didnt answer im, but he sat down on is bed and is shoulders shook till Ginger lost his temper and gave him a couple o thumps on the back that pretty near broke it.
All right, ses Sam, very firm. Now you ave done for yourselves. I ad amost made up my mind to go shares; now you shant ave a hapenny.
Ginger laughed then. Ho! he ses, and ow are you going to prevent it?
Weve got the locket, Sam, ses Peter, smiling and shaking his ead at im.
And well mind it till its sold, ses Ginger.
Sam laughed agin, short and nasty. Then he undressed imself very slow and got into bed. At twelve oclock, just as Ginger was dropping off, he began to laugh agin, and e only stopped when e heard Ginger getting out of bed to im.
He stayed in bed next morning, cos he said is sides was aching, but e laughed agin as they was going out, and when they came back he ad gorn.
We never know ow much we like anything till we lose it. A week arterwards, as Ginger was being elped out of a pawnshop by Peter, he said e would give all he adnt got for the locket to be near enough to Sam to hear im laugh agin.
PAYING OFF
My biggest fault, said the night-watchman, gloomily, has been good nature. Ive spent the best part of my life trying to do my fellow-creeturs a good turn. And what do I get for it? If all the people Ive helped was to come ere now there wouldnt be standing room for them on this wharf. Arf of them would be pushed overboardand a good place for em, too.
Ive been like it all my life. I was good-natured enough to go to sea as a boy because a skipper took a fancy to me and wanted my elp, and when I got older I was good-natured enough to get married. All my life Ive given elp and advice free, and only a day or two ago one of em wot I ad given it to came round here with her usband and er two brothers and er mother and two or three people from the same street, to see her give me wot for.
Another fault o mine has been being sharp. Most people make mistakes, and they cant bear to see anybody as dont. Over and over agin I have showed people ow silly they ave been to do certain things, and told em wot I should ha done in their place, but I cant remember one that ever gave me a thank you for it.
There was a man ere arf an hour ago that reminded me of both of these faults. He came in a-purpose to remind me, and e brought a couple o grinning, brass-faced monkeys with im to see im do it. I was sitting on that barrel when he came, and arter two minutes I felt as if I was sitting on red-ot cinders. He purtended he ad come in for the sake of old times and to ask arter my ealth, and all the time he was doing is best to upset me to amuse them two pore objecks e ad brought with im.
Captin Mellun is his name, and e was always a foolish, soft-eaded sort o man, and how he as kept is job I cant think. He used to trade between this wharf and Bristol on a little schooner called the Firefly, and seeing wot a silly, foolish kind o man he was, I took a little bit o notice of im. Many and many a time when e was going to do something hed ha been sorry for arterwards I ave taken im round to the Bears Head and stood im pint arter pint until he began to see reason and own up that I was in the right.
His crew was amost as bad as wot he was, and all in one month one o the ands gave a man ten shillings for a dimond ring he saw im pick up, wot turned out to be worth fourpence, and another one gave five bob for a meerschaum pipe made o chalk. When I pointed out to em wot fools they was they didnt like it, and a week arterwards, when the skipper gave a man in a pub is watch and chain and two pounds to hold, to show is confidence in im, and I told im exactly wot I thought of him, e didnt like it.
Youre too sharp, Bill, he says, sneering like. My opinion is that the pore man was run over. He told me e should only be away five minutes. And he ad got an honest face: nice open blue eyes, and a smile that done you good to look at.
Youve been swindled, I ses, and you know it. If Id been done like that I should never hold up my ead agin. Why, a child o five would know better. You and your crew all seem to be tarred with the same brush. You aint fit to be trusted out alone.
I believe e told his ands wot I said; anyway, two bits o coke missed me by arf an inch next evening, and for some weeks not one of em spoke a word to me. When they see me coming they just used to stand up straight and twist their nose.
It didnt urt me, o course. I took no notice of em. Even when one of em fell over the broom I was sweeping with I took no notice of im. I just went on with my work as if e wasnt there.
I suppose they ad been in the sulks about a month, and I was sitting ere one evening getting my breath arter a couple o hours ard work, when one of em, George Tebb by name, came off the ship and nodded to me as he passed.
Evening, Bill, he ses.
Evening, I ses, rather stiff.
I wanted a word with you, Bill, he ses, in a low voice. In fact, I might go so far as to say I want to ask you to do me a favour.
I looked at him so ard that he coughed and looked away.
We might talk about it over a arf-pint, he ses.
No, thank you, I ses. I ad a arf-pint the day before yesterday, and Im not thirsty.
He stood there fidgeting about for a bit, and then he puts his and on my shoulder.
Well, come to the end of the jetty, he ses. Ive got something private to say.
I got up slow-like and followed im. I wasnt a bit curious. Not a bit. But if a man asks for my elp I always give it.
Its like this, he ses, looking round careful, only I dont want the other chaps to hear because I dont want to be laughed at. Last week an old uncle o mine died and left me thirty pounds. Its just a week ago, and Ive already got through five of em, and besides that the number of chaps that want to borrow ten bob for a couple o days would surprise you.
I aint so easy surprised, I ses, shaking my ead.
It aint safe with me, he ses; and the favour I want you to do is to take care of it for me. I know itll go if I keep it. Ive got it locked up in this box. And if you keep the box Ill keep the key, and when I want a bit Ill come and see you about it.
He pulled a little box out of is pocket and rattled it in my ear.
Theres five-and-twenty golden goblins in there, he ses. If you take charge of em theyll be all right. If you dont, Im pretty certain I shant ave one of em in a week or twos time.
At fust I said I wouldnt ave anything to do with it, but he begged so ard that I began to alter my mind.
Youre as honest as daylight, Bill, he ses, very earnest. I dont know another man in the world I could trust with twenty-five quid especially myself. Now, put it in your pocket and look arter it for me. One of the quids in it is for you, for your trouble.
He slipped the box in my coat-pocket, and then he said is mind was so relieved that e felt like arf a pint. I was for going to the Bears Head, the place I generally go to, because it is next door to the wharf, so to speak, but George wanted me to try the beer at another place he knew of.