CAPTAINS ALL

By W.W. Jacobs



BOB'S REDEMPTION

[Illustration: "Bob's Redemption."]

"GRATITOODE!" said the night-watchman, with a hard laugh. "_Hmf!_ Don't
talk to me about gratitoode; I've seen too much of it. If people wot
I've helped in my time 'ad only done arf their dooty--arf, mind you--I
should be riding in my carriage."

Forgetful of the limitations of soap-boxes he attempted to illustrate his
remark by lolling, and nearly went over backwards. Recovering himself by
an effort he gazed sternly across the river and smoked fiercely. It was
evident that he was brooding over an ill-used past.

'Arry Thomson was one of them, he said, at last. For over six months I
wrote all 'is love-letters for him, 'e being an iggernerant sort of man
and only being able to do the kisses at the end, which he always insisted
on doing 'imself: being jealous. Only three weeks arter he was married
'e come up to where I was standing one day and set about me without
saying a word. I was a single man at the time and I didn't understand
it. My idea was that he 'ad gone mad, and, being pretty artful and
always 'aving a horror of mad people, I let 'im chase me into a
police-station. Leastways, I would ha' let 'im, but he didn't come,
and I all but got fourteen days for being drunk and disorderly.