being away made to the Blue Lion.
Nobody seemed to miss 'im much, and things went on just the same as afore
he went. Mrs. Dixon was all right with most people, and 'er relations
'ad a very good time of it; old Burge began to put on flesh at such a
rate that the sight of a ladder made 'im ill a'most, and Charlie and Bob
went about as if the place belonged to 'em.

They 'eard nothing for eight months, and then a letter came for Mrs.
Dixon from her 'usband in which he said that 'e had left the _Seabird_
after 'aving had a time which made 'im shiver to think of. He said that
the men was the roughest of the rough and the officers was worse, and
that he 'ad hardly 'ad a day without a blow from one or the other since
he'd been aboard. He'd been knocked down with a hand-spike by the second
mate, and had 'ad a week in his bunk with a kick given 'im by the
boatswain. He said 'e was now on the _Rochester Castle,_ bound for
Sydney, and he 'oped for better times.

That was all they 'eard for some months, and then they got another letter
saying that the men on the _Rochester Castle_ was, if anything, worse
than those on the Seabird, and that he'd begun to think that running away
to sea was diff'rent to wot he'd expected, and that he supposed 'e'd done
it too late in life. He sent 'is love to 'is wife and asked 'er as a
favour to send Uncle Burge and 'is boys away, as 'e didn't want to find
them there when 'e came home, because they was the cause of all his
sufferings.

"He don't know 'is best friends," ses old Burge. "'E's got a nasty
sperrit I don't like to see."

"I'll 'ave a word with 'im when 'e does come home," ses Bob. "I s'pose
he thinks 'imself safe writing letters thousands o' miles away."

The last letter they 'ad came from Auckland, and said that he 'ad shipped
on the _Monarch,_ bound for the Albert Docks, and he 'oped soon to be at
'ome and managing the Blue Lion, same as in the old happy days afore he
was fool enough to go to sea.

That was the very last letter, and some time arterward the _Monarch_ was
in the missing list, and by-and-by it became known that she 'ad gone down
with all hands not long arter leaving New Zealand. The only difference
it made at the Blue Lion was that Mrs. Dixon 'ad two of 'er dresses dyed
black, and the others wore black neckties for a fortnight and spoke of
Dixon as pore George, and said it was a funny world, but they supposed
everything was for the best.

It must ha' been p