"Master's in sir," said she, "I'll tell him, and p'raps he'll show 'em."
The unhappy girl, who appeared to be suffering from a chronic cold, which she relieved from time to time on the back of the hearth-stone, gathered herself together, and limped into the dining-room, whence the sounds of revelry proceeded. She came out almost immediately, with a ducking, dodging action, as if something had been thrown at her, and told us to step in.
We obeyed her instructions, not without much misgiving, and, passing two corded chests, labelled "Captain Talboys, ship Heart's Content, Limehouse Reach," which stood in the hall, we found ourselves in the presence of the carousers whose voices we had heard in the street. One, evidently Captain Talboys, was a big, muscular, hairy sailor, with a low square brow, a bull neck, great brown hands, and shoulders of enormous breadth. His coat was off, and was lying on a chair hard by. He wore square-cut black trousers, a black satin waistcoat, and thick square-toed Wellington boots. His companion was a small, unwholesome-looking, fat, Jew, with a pasty complexion, black moustache and whiskers, a massive gold chain, and several thick rings on his dirty squabby fingers.
"Come in shipmet," said Captain Talboys, in a thick husky voice, "come in; and what'll yer take? Here's brandy, rum, whiskey, gin, anything. Help yourself shipmet! Yo ho! help yourself!"
"Thank you, I don't think we'll drink anything," said I, as I stumbled over the coal-scoop, which appeared to have been the missile with which the announcement of
