no need for
me to sacrifice myself any longer looking arter a dead man's watch and
chain.

I didn't know exactly where Joe Peel lived, but I knew the part, and
arter peeping into seven public-'ouses I see the man I wanted sitting by
'imself in a little bar. I walked in quiet-like, and sat down opposite
'im.

"Morning," I ses.

Joe Peel grunted.

"'Ave one with me?" I ses.

He grunted agin, but not quite so fierce, and I fetched the two pints
from the counter and took a seat alongside of 'im.

"I've been looking for you," I ses.

"Oh!" he ses, looking me up and down and all over. "Well, you've found
me now."

"I want to talk to you about the ghost of pore Sam Bullet," I ses.

Joe Peel put 'is mug down sudden and looked at me fierce. "Look 'ere!
Don't you come and try to be funny with me," he ses. "'Cos I won't 'ave
it."

"I don't want to be funny," I ses. "Wot I want to know is, are you in
the same mind about that watch and chain as you was the other day?"

He didn't seem to be able to speak at fust, but arter a time 'e gives a
gasp. "Woes the game?" he ses.

"Wot I want to know is, if I give you that watch and chain for fifteen
bob, will that keep the ghost from 'anging round my wharf agin?" I ses.

"Why, o' course," he ses, staring; "but you ain't been seeing it agin,
'ave you?"

"I've not, and I don't want to," I ses. "If it wants you to 'ave the
watch and chain, give me the fifteen bob, and it's yours."

He looked at me for a moment as if he couldn't believe 'is eyesight, and
then 'e puts his 'and into 'is trowsis-pocket and pulls out one shilling
and fourpence, 'arf a clay-pipe, and a bit o' lead-pencil.

"That's all I've got with me," he ses. "I'll owe you the rest. You
ought to ha' took the fifteen bob when I 'ad it."

There was no 'elp for it, and arter making 'im swear to give me the rest
o' the money when 'e got it, and that I shouldn't see the ghost agin, I
'anded the things over to 'im and came away. He came to the door to see
me off, and if ever a man looked puzzled, 'e did. Pleased at the same
time.

It was a load off of my mind. My con-science told me I'd done right, and
arter sending a little boy with a note to Ted Dennis to tell 'im not to
come any more, I felt 'appier than I 'ad done for a long time. When I
got to the wharf that evening it seemed like a diff'rent place, and I was
whistling and smiling over my work quite in my old way, when the young
policeman pass