My bonnie young girl,
We're bound to Rio Grande."

"Capstan song," he explained. Her teeth chattered.

"You are cold," he said. "Here's that affair of yours I picked up." She
felt his hands about her, wrapping her closely. "Hold the ends together
in front," he commanded.

"What did you come here for?" she asked, repressing a shudder.

"Five quid," he answered, promptly. "We let our spree go on a little too
long and got hard up."

"You've been drinking?" she said.

"Blind three days; on purpose. I am not given that way--don't you think.
There's nothing and nobody that can get over me unless I like. I can be
as steady as a rock. My chum sees the paper this morning, and says he to
me: 'Go on, Harry: loving parent. That's five quid sure.' So we scraped
all our pockets for the fare. Devil of a lark!"

"You have a hard heart, I am afraid," she sighed.

"What for? For running away? Why! he wanted to make a lawyer's clerk of
me--just to please himself. Master in his own house; and my poor mother
egged him on--for my good, I suppose. Well, then--so long; and I went.
No, I tell you: the day I cleared out, I was all black and blue from his
great fondness for me. Ah! he was always a bit of a character. Look at
that shovel now. Off his chump? Not much. That's just exactly like my