I, "except it be death?"

"It is repentance."

"Why," says I, "did you ever know a pirate repent?"

At this he was startled a little, and returned.

"At the gallows I have known one, and I hope thou wilt be the second."

He spoke this very affectionately, with an appearance of concern for me.

"My proposal," William went on, "is for thy good as well as my own. We
may put an end to this kind of life, and repent."

"Look you, William," says I, "let me have your proposal for putting an
end to our present way of living first, and you and I will talk of the
other afterwards."

"Nay," says William, "thou art in the right there; we must never talk of
repenting while we continue pirates."

"Well," says I, "William, that's what I meant; for if we must not
reform, as well as be sorry for what is done, I have no notion what
repentance means: the nature of the thing seems to tell me that the
first step we have to take is to break off this wretched course. Dost
thou think it practicable for us to put an end to our unhappy way of
living, and get off?"

"Yes," says he, "I think it very practicable."

We were then anchored off the city of Bassorah, and one night William
and I went ashore, and sent a note to the boatswain telling him we were
betrayed and bidding him make off with the ship.

By this means we frighted the rogues our comrades; and we had nothing to
do then but to consider how to convert our treasure into things proper
to make us look like merchants, as we were now to be, and not like
freebooters, as we really had been.

Then we clothed ourselves like Armenian merchants, and after many days
reached Venice; and at last we agreed to go to London. For William had a
sister whom he was anxious to see once more.

So we came to England, and some time later I married William's sister,
with whom I am much more happy than I deserve.

* * * * *

CHARLES DICKENS

Barnaby Rudge

Charles Dickens, son of a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, was
born at Landport on February 7, 1812. Soon afterwards the
family removed to Chatham and then to London. With all their
efforts, they failed to keep out of distress, and at the age
of nine Dickens was employed at a blacking factory. With the
coming of brighter days, he was sent back to school;
afterwards a place was found for him in a solicitor's office.
In the meantime, his father had obtained a pos