"Holding it in her little 'and as usual," he ses. "Asking for trouble, I
call it. I believe if a woman 'ad one hand off and only a finger and
thumb left on the other, she'd carry 'er purse in it."

He knew a'most as much about wimmen as I do. When 'is fust wife died,
she said 'er only wish was that she could take 'im with her, and she made
'im promise her faithful that 'e'd never marry agin. His second wife,
arter a long illness, passed away while he was playing hymns on the
concertina to her, and 'er mother, arter looking at 'er very hard, went
to the doctor and said she wanted an inquest.

He went on talking for a long time, but I was busy doing a bit of 'ead-
work and didn't pay much attention to 'im. I was thinking o' twelve
pounds, two lozenges, and a postage stamp laying in the mud at the bottom
of my dock, and arter a time 'e said 'e see as 'ow I was waiting to get
back to my night's rest, and went off--stamping.

I locked the wicket when he 'ad gorn away, and then I went to the edge of
the dock and stood looking down at the spot where the purse 'ad been
chucked in. The tide was on the ebb, but there was still a foot or two
of water atop of the mud. I walked up and down, thinking.

I thought for a long time, and then I made up my mind. If I got the
purse and took it to the police-station, the police would share the money
out between 'em, and tell me they 'ad given it back to the lady. If I
found it and put a notice in the newspaper--which would cost money--very
likely a dozen or two ladies would come and see me and say it was theirs.
Then if I gave it to the best-looking one and the one it belonged to
turned up, there'd be trouble. My idea was to keep it--for a time--and
then if the lady who lost it came to me and asked me for it I would give