"My bo"sun," he said, reentering the room with a letter. "Excuse me."
He broke the seal, and turned to Hartley with a short laugh. "Peter Truefitt," he said, "wants me to meet him at nine o"clock and go home together, pretending that he has been here with me. Peter is improving."
"But he can"t go on like this forever," said his scandalized friend.
"He"s all right," said the captain, with a satisfied wink. "I"m looking after him. I"m stage-manager. I"ll see--"
His voice faltered, and then died away as he caught Miss Hartley"s eye and noticed the air of artless astonishment with which she was regarding him.
"Always was from a child," she quoted.
The captain ignored her.
"I"ll just give Walters a note," he said, turning to Hartley with some dignity. "You don"t mind his waiting?"
He turned to a small writing-table, and with an air of preoccupation, a.s.sumed for Miss Hartley"s benefit, began to try a pen on his thumb-nail. Hartley, going to the door, sent the boatswain off to the kitchen for a gla.s.s of ale.
"Or perhaps you prefer tea?" he added, thoughtfully.
"Ale will do, sir," said Mr. Walters, humbly.
He walked to the kitchen, and, pushing the door open softly, went in.
Rosa Jelks, who was sitting down reading, put aside her book and smiled welcome.
"Sit down," she said, patronizingly; "sit down."
"I was going to," said Mr. Walters. "I"m to "ave a gla.s.s of ale."
"Say "please,"" said Rosa, shaking her yellow locks at him, and rising to take a gla.s.s from the dresser.
She walked into the scullery humming a tune, and the pleasant sound of beer falling into a gla.s.s fell on the boatswain"s ears. He stroked his small black moustache and smiled.
"Would you like me to take a sip at the gla.s.s first?" inquired Rosa, coming back carefully with a br.i.m.m.i.n.g gla.s.s, "just to give it a flavour?"
Mr. Walters stared at her in honest amazement. After a moment he remarked gruffly that the flavour of the ale itself was good enough for him. Rosa"s eyes sparkled.
"Just a sip," she pleaded.
"Go on, then," said Mr. Walters, grudgingly.
"Chin, chin!" said Rosa.
The boatswain"s face relaxed. Then it hardened suddenly and a dazed look crept into his eyes as Rosa, drinking about two-thirds of the ale, handed him the remainder.
"That"s for your impudence," she said, sharply. "I don"t like beer."
Mr. Walters, still dazed, finished the beer without a word and placed the gla.s.s on the table. A faint sigh escaped him, but that was all.
"Bear!" said Rosa, making a face at him.
She looked at his strong, lean face and powerful figure approvingly, but the bereaved boatswain took no notice.
"Bear!" said Rosa again.
She patted her hair into place, and, in adjusting a hair-pin, permitted a long, thick tress to escape to her shoulder. She uttered a little squeal of dismay.
"False, ain"t it?" inquired Mr. Walters, regarding her antics with some amazement.
"False!" exclaimed Rosa. "Certainly not. Here! Tug!"
She presented her shoulder to the boatswain, and he, nothing loath, gave a tug, animated by the loss of two-thirds of a gla.s.s of beer. The next instant a loud slap rang through the kitchen.
"And I"d do it again for two pins," said the outraged damsel, as she regarded him with watering eyes. "Brute!"
She turned away, and, pink with annoyance, proceeded to arrange her hair in a small cracked gla.s.s that hung by the mantel-piece.
"I "ad a cousin once," said Mr. Walters, thoughtfully, "that used to let her "air down and sit on it. Tall gal, too, she was."
"So can I," snapped Rosa, rolling the tress up on her finger, holding it in place, and transfixing it with a hair-pin.
"H"m," said the boatswain.
"What d"ye mean by that?" demanded Rosa, sharply. "Do you mean to say I can"t?"
"You might if you cut it off first," conceded Mr. Walters.
"Cut it off?" said Rosa, scornfully. "Here! Look here!"
She dragged out her hair-pins and with a toss of her head sent the coa.r.s.e yellow locks flying. Then, straightening them slightly, she pulled out a chair and confronted him triumphantly. And at that moment the front-room bell rang.
"That"s for you," said Mr. Walters, pointedly.
Rosa, who was already back at the gla.s.s, working with feverish haste, made no reply. The bell rang again, and a third time, Rosa finally answering it in a coiffure that looked like a hastily constructed bird"s nest.
"There"s your letter," she said, returning with a face still flushed.
"Take it and go."
"Thankee," said the boatswain. "Was they very frightened?"
"Take it and go," repeated Rosa, with cold dignity. "Your young woman might be expecting you; pity to keep her waiting."
"I ain"t got a young woman," said Mr. Walters, slowly.
"You surprise me!" said Rosa, with false astonishment.
"I never would "ave one," said the boatswain, rising, and placing the letter in his breast-pocket. "I"ve got along all right for thirty years without "em, and I ain"t going to begin now."
"You must have broke a lot of hearts with disappointment," said Rosa.