The woman rose and then stood irresolute for a moment, as though there
was something which she still wished to mention.

"When will I be able to draw Jim's back pay, sir?" she asked nervously.
"I have pawned nigh everything in the house, and the child and me is
weak from want of food."

"Your husband's back pay," the merchant said, taking down a ledger from
the shelf and turning rapidly over the leaves. "I think that you are
under a delusion, Mrs. Hudson. Let me see--Dawson, Duffield, Everard,
Francis, Gregory, Gunter, Hardy. Ah, here it is--Hudson, boatswain of
the _Black Eagle_. The wages which he received amounted, I see, to five
pounds a month. The voyage lasted eight months, but the ship had only
been out two months and a half when your husband died."

"That's true, sir," the widow said, with an anxious look at the long
line of figures in the ledger.

"Of course, the contract ended at his death, so the firm owed him twelve
pounds ten at that date. But I perceive from my books that you have
been drawing half-pay during the whole eight months. You have
accordingly had twenty pounds from the firm, and are therefore in its
debt to the amount of seven pounds ten shillings. We'll say nothing of
that at present," the senior partner concluded with a magnificent air.
"When you are a little better off you can make good the balance, but
really you can hardly expect us to assist you any further at present."

"But, sir, we have nothing," Mrs. Hudson sobbed.