o' mine that I meet sometimes for the sake of her talk.'

"'Talk!' I ses, staring at 'im. 'Talk! Wot, can't one woman talk enough
for you? Is your missis dumb? or wot?'

"'You don't understand,' he ses, cocking up 'is nose at me. 'She's a
interleckshal woman; full of eddication and information. When my missis
talks, she talks about the price o' things and says she must 'ave more
money. Or else she talks about things I've done, or sometimes things I
'aven't done. It's all one to her. There's no pleasure in that sort o'
talk. It don't help a man.'

"'I never 'eard of any talk as did,' I ses.

"'I don't suppose you did,' he ses, sneering-like. 'Now, to-night, fust
of all, we talked about the House of Lords and whether it ought to be
allowed; and arter that she gave me quite a little lecture on insecks.'

"'It don't seem proper to me,' I ses. 'I 'ave spoke to my wife about 'em
once or twice, but I should no more think of talking about such things to
a single lady----'

"He began to jump about agin as if I'd bit 'im, and he 'ad so much to say
about my 'ed and blocks of wood that I pretty near lost my temper. I
should ha' lost it with some men, but 'e was a very stiff-built chap and
as hard as nails.

"'Beer's your trouble,' he ses, at last. 'Fust of all you put it down,
and then it climbs up and soaks wot little brains you've got. Wot you
want is a kind friend to prevent you from getting it.'

"I don't know wot it was, but I 'ad a sort of sinking feeling inside as
'e spoke, and next evening, when I saw 'im walk to the end of the jetty
with the office-boy and stand there talking to 'im with his 'and on his
shoulder, it came on worse than ever. And I put two and two together
when the guv'nor came up to me next day, and, arter talking about 'dooty'
and 'ow easy it was to get night-watchmen, mentioned in 'a off-'and sort
of way that, if I left the wharf at all between six and six, I could stay
away altogether.

"I didn't answer 'im a word. I might ha' told 'im that there was plenty
of people arter me ready to give me double the money, but I knew he could
never get anybody to do their dooty by the wharf like I 'ad done, so I
kept quiet. It's the way I treat my missis nowadays, and it pays; in the
old days I used to waste my breath answering 'er back.

"I wouldn't ha' minded so much if it 'adn't ha' been for that boy. He
used to pass me, as 'e went off of a evening, with a little sly smile on
'is ugly