was that woman, but I 'ad to make sure. When it came the
third time I crept up to the gate.

"Halloa!" I ses. "Who is it?"

"Me, darling," ses a voice I reckernized as the potman's. "Your missus
wants to come in and sit down."

I could 'ear several people talking, and it seemed to me there was quite
a crowd out there, and by and by that bell was going like mad. Then
people started kicking the gate, and shouting, but I took no notice
until, presently, it left off all of a sudden, and I 'eard a loud voice
asking what it was all about. I suppose there was about fifty of 'em all
telling it at once, and then there was the sound of a fist on the gate.

"Who is it?" I ses.

"Police," ses the voice.

I opened the wicket then and looked out. A couple o' policemen was
standing by the gate and arf the riff-raff of Wapping behind 'em.

"Wot's all this about?" ses one o' the policemen.

I shook my 'ead. "Ask me another," I ses. "Your missus is causing a
disturbance," he ses.

"She's not my missus," I ses; "she's a complete stranger to me."

"And causing a crowd to collect and refusing to go away," ses the other
policeman.

"That's your business," I ses. "It's nothing to do with me."

They talked to each other for a moment, and then they spoke to the woman.
I didn't 'ear wot she said, but I saw her shake her 'ead, and a'most
direckly arterwards she was marching away between the two policemen with
the crowd follering and advising 'er where to kick 'em.

I was a bit worried at fust--not about her--and then I began to think
that p'raps it was the best thing that could have 'appened.

I went 'ome in the morning with a load lifted off my mind; but I 'adn't
been in the 'ouse two seconds afore my missus started to put it on agin.
Fust of all she asked me 'ow I dared to come into the 'ouse, and then she
wanted to know wot I meant by leaving her at 'ome and going out for the
day with another woman.

"You told me to," I ses.

"Oh, yes," she ses, trembling with temper. "You always do wot I tell
you, don't you? Al-ways 'ave, especially when it's anything you like."

She fetched a bucket o' water and scrubbed the kitchen while I was having
my brekfuss, but I kept my eye on 'er, and, the moment she 'ad finished,
I did the perlite and emptied the bucket for 'er, to prevent mistakes.

I read about the case in the Sunday paper, and I'm thankful to say my
name wasn't in it. All the magistrate done was to make 'er prom