"Now I wonder if anythink will "appen before Ole Whiskers gets up in the mornin"," mused Bindle as he descended the stairs to his room.
CHAPTER X
THE DOWNFALL OF MR. JABEZ STIFFSON
I
The next morning Bindle let Mrs. Sedge in at her usual time, seven o"clock.
"Now mind, mother," he said, "four eggs and plenty o" bacon an"
coffee, Number Six "as got a appet.i.te; "ad no supper, pore gal."
Mrs. Sedge grunted. Kilburn Cemetery had a depressing effect upon her.
"I"ll take it up myself," remarked Bindle casually.
Mrs. Sedge eyed him deliberately.
"She"s pretty, then," she said. "Ain"t you men jest all alike!" She proceeded to shake her head in hopeless despair.
Bindle stood watching her as she descended to the Harts" kitchen.
"She"s got an "ead-piece on "er, "as ole Sedgy," he muttered. "Fancy "er a-tumblin" to it like that, an" "er still "alf full o" Royal Richard."
Having prepared and eaten his own breakfast, Bindle sat down and waited. At five minutes past nine he rose.
"It"s time Oscar an" Ole Whiskers was up an" doin"," he murmured as he stood in front of the dingy looking-gla.s.s over the fireplace. "Joe Bindle, there"s a-goin" to be rare doin"s in Number Six to-day, and it may mean that you"ll lose your job, you ole reprobate."
At the head of the stairs of the second floor Bindle stopped as if he had been shot.
""Old me, "Orace!" he muttered. "If it ain"t "er!"
Running towards him was Miss Boye in a white silk wrapper, a white lace matinee cap, her stockingless feet thrust into dainty slippers.
Bindle eyed her appreciatively.
"Oh, Mr. Porter!" she cried breathlessly, "there"s a man in my bath."
"A wot, miss?" enquired Bindle in astonishment.
"A man, I heard him splashing and I peeped in,--I only just peeped, you know, Mr. Porter,--and there was a funny little man in spectacles with whiskers. Isn"t it lovely!" she cried, clapping her hands gleefully. "Where could he have come from?"
"Well, personally myself, I shouldn"t call "im lovely," muttered Bindle. "I s"pose it"s only a matter o" taste."
"But where did he come from?" persisted Cissie Boye excitedly.
""E must "ave been left be"ind by the other tenant," said Bindle, grinning widely. "I must see into this. Now you"d better get back, miss. You mustn"t go "opping about like this, or I"ll lose my job."
"Why! Don"t I look nice?" asked Miss Boye archly, looking down at herself.
"That"s jest it, miss," said Bindle. "If Number Seven or Number Eighteen was to see you like that, well, anythink might "appen. Now we"ll find out about this man wot you think "as got into your bath."
Followed by Miss Boye, Bindle entered the outer door of Number Six. As he did so Mr. Stiffson emerged from the bathroom in a faded pink bath-robe and yellow felt slippers, with a towel over his shoulder and a sponge in his hand. He gave one startled glance past Bindle at Cissie Boye and, with a strange noise in his throat, turned and fled back to the bathroom, bolting the door behind him.
"Isn"t he a scream!" gurgled Miss Boye. "Oh, what would Bobbie say?"
Like a decree of fate Bindle marched up to the bathroom door and knocked imperiously.
"What is it?" inquired Mr. Stiffson in a trembling voice.
"It"s me," responded Bindle sternly. "Open the door, sir, _if_ you please. I can"t "ave you a-frightening this young lady."
"Tell her to go away, and then I"ll come out," was the response.
Miss Boye giggled.
"You"d better come out, sir." There was decision in Bindle"s voice.
"I"ll go into my room," she whispered, "and then I"ll come out again, see?"
Bindle did see, and nodded his head vigorously. Miss Boye disappeared.
"She ain"t "ere now, sir," he said, "so you"d better come out."
The bathroom door was cautiously opened, and Mr. Stiffson looked out with terror-dilated eyes.
"Is she really----?"
"Of course she is," said Bindle rea.s.suringly. "Fancy you bein" afraid of a pretty little bit o" fluff like that."
"But--but--she was in her----"
"Of course she was, she was goin" to "ave a rinse in there," Bindle indicated the bathroom with his thumb, "when you frightened "er. Dirty trick a-frightening of a pretty gal like that."
With affected indifference Bindle strolled over to the bathroom, looked in and then stood before the door.
"Look! there she is again!" almost shrieked Mr. Stiffson, dashing for Bindle and endeavouring to get past him into the bathroom.
"There, there, sir," said Bindle soothingly, "you"re a very lucky cove, only you don"t seem to know it."
"But--but--Mrs. Stiffson----"
There was terror in Mr. Stiffson"s voice. On his forehead beads of perspiration glistened.
"What the wife don"t see the "usband don"t "ave to explain," remarked Bindle oracularly.