e gloom of the autumn evening at the
strange man, who now roared out:

"What cheer, I says! What cheer?"

The little fellow made an effort to speak, but only sighed at first,
before stammering out:

"Please, sir, I don't know what you mean."

"You don't?" growled the man, fiercely, as he clapped the palm of his
left hand upon the front of his waistband, and the back of his right
hand level with it behind; then kicking out his right leg behind, he
made a kind of hop on his left, as if to shake himself down into his
clothes, as he hoisted them up.

"You don't?" he said again, as he stared at the little fellow. "What
are you, then? A furrener?"

"No, sir," said the little boy, shrinking; for the man now took a step
forward and clapped a big, brown, tarry hand upon his shoulder.

"Then why can't yer understand yer own lingo?"

"I do, sir," said the boy, with a sound like a sob.

"Then why did you say you didn't, and make me think you was a Frenchy?"

"I didn't know what you meant, sir, by `hilli' something, and `what
cheer.'"

"Why, yer young savage!" cried the man. "Arn't yer never been to
school?"

"Yes, sir, and had a tutor."

"A tutor, eh? What may that be? But lookye here, my lad; I arn't a
_sir_--on'y a marrineer."

"A what, sir?" said the boy, staring.

"Marrineer--seaman. Fore the mast man, ship now lying off the port o'
Torquay. Whatcher doing there?"

"Cry-ying, sir," came for answer, with a piteous sob.

"Cry-hying, you young swab?" roared the man, as if he were speaking
through a storm. "Here, sop that up. Father been leathering yer?"

"No, sir."

"No, Jack Jeens!" yelled the man. "_Sir_, indeed! Jack Jeens--that's
my name. England is my dwellin' place--leastwise, when I arn't off
France and Spain, or in the 'Terranium leathering the French. Now,
then, who has been givin' it to you? Mother, p'r'aps, and turned you
out of doors?"

"No, sir," sobbed the boy, with a piteous look, in the gathering
darkness.

"Yah!" came so savagely that the boy started to run; but the grip upon
his shoulder tightened, and he was forced back against the bars of the
gate. "Now, just you look here, messmet. You're such a little un that
I don't like to hit yer for fear you should break; but don't you
haggravate me by talking as if I was a hofficer."

"No, sir; please, sir--" stammered the boy.

"Hark at him!" growled the man, speaking to one of the stone gate-posts;
and then, turning to t