s'pose,' ses Sam, staring.

"Tell 'im, Ted,' ses Mrs. Reddish, in a 'usky whisper.

"'No, you,' ses Ted.

"'It's your place,' ses Mrs. Reddish.

"'A woman can break it better,' ses 'er 'usband.

"'Tell us wot?' ses Ginger, very snappish.

"Ted Reddish cleared 'is throat.

"'It wasn't our fault,' he ses, slowly, while Mrs. Reddish began to cry
agin; 'gin'rally speak-in', animals is afraid o' wild men, and night
before last, as the wild man wot you left on approval didn't seem to
like "'Appy Cottage,'' we took 'im out an' put 'im in with the tiger.'

'"Put him in with the WOT?' ses the unfort'nit man's uncle, jumping off
'is chair.

"'The tiger,' ses Reddish. 'We 'eard something in the night, but we
thought they was only 'aving a little bit of a tiff, like. In the
morning I went down with a bit o' cold meat for the wild man, and I
thought at first he'd escaped; but looking a little bit closer--'

"'Don't, Ted,' ses 'is wife. 'I can't bear it.'

"'Do you mean to tell me that the tiger 'as eat 'im?' screams old Sam.

"'Most of 'im,' ses Ted Reddish; 'but 'e couldn't ha' been much of
a wild man to let a tiger get the better of 'im. I must say I was
surprised.'

"'We both was,' ses Mrs. Reddish, wiping 'er eyes.

"You might ha' 'eard a pin drop; old Sam's eyes was large and staring,
Peter Russet was sucking 'is teeth, an' Ginger was wondering wot the law
would say to it--if it 'eard of it.

"'It's an unfortunit thing for all parties,' ses Ted Reddish at last,
getting up and standing on the 'earthrug.

"''Orrible,' ses Sam, 'uskily. 'You ought to ha' known better than to put
'im in with a tiger. Wot could you expect? W'y, it was a mad thing to
do.'

"'Crool thing,' ses Peter Russet.

"'You don't know the bisness properly,' ses Ginger, 'that's about wot it
is. 'You should ha' known better than that.'

"'Well, it's no good making a fuss about it,' ses Reddish. It was only
a wild man arter all, and he'd ha' died anyway, cos 'e wouldn't eat the
raw meat we gave 'im, and 'is pan o' water was scarcely touched. He'd
ha' starved himself anyhow. I'm sorry, as I said before, but I must be
off; I've got an appointment down at the docks.'

"He moved towards the door; Ginger Dick gave Russet a nudge and
whispered something and Russet passed it on to Sam.

"What about the 'undered quid?' ses pore Beauty's uncle, catching 'old
o' Reddish as 'e passed 'im.

"'Eh?' ses Reddish, surprised--'Oh, that's off.'

"'Ho!