not be able to deny it?"

"You're civil, anyhow," said Orrick, with an oath.

"I mean to be," retorted Nick, fiercely.

"Come, come, it's no use quarrelling," said Orrick, with an affectation
of good-humour. "Never say die! Nick; them's the words o' the
immortial Nelson, w'en he gave the signal to blaze away at Trafalgar.
But sit ye down here on this rock, and I'll tell ye all about wot I
see'd last night. Ye'd like to know, I dessay."

"I'd like to have know'd sooner, if you had seen fit to tell me," said
Rodney Nick, in a gruff tone.

"Well, then, keep yer mind easy, and here goes. You know as how I
chanced to hear old Jeph make an appointment with that young puppy, Guy
Foster, to meet him at the darkest hour o' night at the tomb o' Mary
Bax. Thinks I, it won't be for nothin' you're goin' to meet at sich an
hour in sich a place, my hearties, so I'll go an' keep ye company in a
_private_ way!

"You may be sure I was up to time. Two hours did I wait in the ditch
behind the tomb, and I can tell ye, Nick, it's desprit eerie work
a-sittin' there all alone of a dark night, a-countin' of the beatins of
yer 'art, an' thinkin' every shadow of the clouds is a ghost.
Hows'ever, the old man came at last, and lies down flat on the grave,
and begins to groan a bit. Arter that he takes to prayin', an', d'ye
know, the way that old feller prays is a caution. The parsons couldn't
hold a candle to him. Not that I ever heer'd ony of 'em, but I _s'pose_
they couldn't!

"Well, he was cut short in the middle by the arrival of the puppy--."

"Wot puppy?" inquired Rodney.

"Guy, to be sure; ain't he the biggest puppy in Deal?" said Orrick.

"Mayhap, but he ain't the _longest_," retorted Rodney; "go on."

"Humph!--well, down sits Guy on the head o' the tombstone, and pats old
Jeph on the shoulder.

"`Here I am, Jeph; come now, what is it you are so anxious to tell me?'

"The old man sat up: `I'm goin' to die,' says he.

"`Nonsense,' cried the young 'un, in a cheerie tone, by way of "don't
say that." `You're as tough as an old bo'sn. Come, that wasn't what
you wanted to tell me, I'm sure.'

"`Ay, but it was,' says the old man in sich an earnest voice that the
young 'un was forced to become serious. `Listen, Guy,' he goes on, `I'm
goin' to die, an' there's no one in this world as I've got to look after
me.'

"Guy was goin' to interrupt him at this point, but he laid his hand on
his shoulder and bade him be silent.