adder with a drunken stare.

"Lushed am I?" he repeated. "Drunk hey? Well, so I am and when lushed
'tis at my best I am, my lad. And look'ee a ladder's meant for to
climb ain't it? Very well then--I'm the cove to climb it! And
look'ee, what's more 'tis a curst dog-hole this for a genty-cove o' the
high pad and----" But here his companion roared again for "Old Bet"
and "Lights" until the old woman hobbled in.

"Eh, eh?" she whimpered, blinking from one to the other. "Did ye call,
dearie?"

"Aye--bring more glims, d'ye hear----"

"Candles, dearie, eh--eh?"

"Aye, candles! And I'm expecting company, so bring candles and get ye
to bed, d'ye hear?"

"Aye, aye, I hear, dearie, I hear--candles, candles," and muttering the
word she hobbled away and presently was back again and stood, mowing
and mumbling, to watch the candles lighted.

"Now get ye to bed," cried Benno, "to bed, d'ye hear?"

"Dead, dearie?" she croaked. "Who's dead now? Not me, no, no, nor
you--yet. No no, but 'tis coming, aha--'tis coming--dead oho!"

The man Benno fell back a step, eyes wide and mouth agape, then very
suddenly made a cross in the air before him, while Jerry, getting on
his feet, did the same with unsteady finger on the table.

"The evil eye! 'Tis the evil eye!" he muttered, while old Betty nodded
and chuckled as her quick, bright eyes flashed from one to the other.

"I said 'bed'!" roared the gipsy-looking fellow clenching his fists
fiercely but falling back another step from old Betty's vicinity, "bed
was the word----"

"Aye, aye, dearie!" she nodded, "some in bed an' some out--dead, aye,
aye, some by day and some by night--all go dead soon or late, you an'
me and all on us--one way or t'other--dead, dearie, dead!"

So saying old Betty hobbled out of the room closing the door behind her.

"A curst old beldam, a hag, a damned witch as I'm a roarer!" exclaimed
Jerry shaking his head, while his companion wiped sweat from his brow.
"O rot me, a nice dog-hole this and wi' a ladder look'ee, leading devil
knoweth where, but I'm the cove to see----"

"Sit still--sit still and take a sup o' this, Jerry!" And crossing to
a corner Benno brought thence a stone jar and a couple of mugs and
brimming one unsteadily he tossed it off; then sitting down at the
rickety table they alternately drank and cursed old Betty.

"Come now, Benno my dimber cove," cried Jerry at last, "what's the
game? What ha' ye brought me here for? Tip