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 The Old Tobacco Shop 
 
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 By William Bowen 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 ENDOWED BY THE 
 
 DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 
 UBRARY 
 
 SCHOOL 
 
 J 
 Bowen 
 
 76030527 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00022093887 
 
 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/oldtobaccoshoptrObowe 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
By 
 WILLIAM BOWEN 
 
 The Enchanted Forest 
 The Old Tobacco Shop 
 
'Lord bless us!" cried the hunch back. "Look at that!' 
 
The Old Tobacco Shop 
 
 A True Account of What Befell 
 
 a Little Boy in Search 
 
 oj Adventure 
 
 By 
 
 William Bow en 
 
 \ 
 
 Though you believe it not, I care not much: but an honest man, 
 and of good judgment, believeth still what is told him, and that 
 which he finds written. — Rabelais. 
 
 Nem fork 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 1921 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
 Copyright, 1921 
 BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 Set up and Electrotyped. Published October, 1921 
 
 FERRIS PRINTING COMPANY 
 NEW YORK 
 
To 
 
 BILLY AND JOHN 
 
 TWO LITTLE BOYS 
 
PRINCIPAL PERSONS 
 
 Freddie 
 
 Mr. Toby 
 
 Aunt Amanda 
 
 Mr. Punch 
 
 The Churchwarden 
 
 Mr. Hanlon 
 
 The Sly Old Fox 
 
 The Old Codger with the Wooden Leg 
 
 Mr. Lemuel Mizzen 
 
 The Cabin-Boy 
 
 Marmaduke 
 
 Captain Lingo 
 
 Ketch the Practitioner 
 
 The Third Vice-President 
 
 Mr. Matthew Speak 
 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant 
 
 The King and Queen 
 
 Robert, Jenny, and James 
 
 Mr. Punch's Father 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 1. "Lord bless US !" cried the hunch back. "Look at 
 
 that!" Frontispiece 
 
 2. "I'm Lemuel Mizzen, A. B., that's me!" ... 50 
 
 3. "L-l-Lem!" shrieked the parrot. "Who's your 
 
 f-f-f-friends?" 86 
 
 4. Mr. Hanlon was standing on his feet by the log on 
 
 which his head had been cut off. . . . • 134 
 
 5. Shiraz the Rug-Merchant looked at his visitors 
 
 with little beady black eyes 188 
 
 6. "Ah, yes," said Aunt Amanda,"there's no place like 
 
 the Old Tobacco Shop after all" 235 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 XV. 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 XX. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 Mr. Punch and the Clock-Tower 
 Aunt Amanda and the Two Old Codgers 
 Introducing the Churchwarden • 
 In which Mr. Hanlon makes a Great Im- 
 pression 
 
 The Chinaman's Head 
 
 Lemuel Mizzen, A. B 
 
 The Hands of the Clock come Together . 
 Celluloid CufFs and a Silk Hat . 
 
 The Odour of Sanctity 
 
 Captain Higginson and the Spanish Main 
 
 A Mixed Company in search of Adventure 
 
 The Voyage of the Sieve 
 
 The Cabin-Boy's Revenge . 
 
 The Cruise of the Mattresses . 
 
 A Fall in the Dark .... 
 
 Captain Lingo and a Fine Piece of Head 
 Work 
 
 High Dudgeon and Low Dudgeon 
 The Society for Piratical Research . 
 A Knock at the Door .... 
 The City of Towers .... 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant . 
 Six Enchanted Souls .... 
 From the Fire Back to the Frying-Pan 
 Disenchantment Complete . 
 The Old Man of the Mountain . 
 The King's Tower .... 
 The Sorcerer's Den .... 
 The Old Tobacco Shop 
 
 PAGE 
 I 
 
 9 
 
 21 
 31 
 
 39 
 48 
 
 54 
 60 
 
 69 
 
 74 
 81 
 
 93 
 
 107 
 III 
 
 122 
 
 139 
 146 
 160 
 171 
 178 
 187 
 196 
 200 
 209 
 216 
 222 
 231 
 
THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MR. PUNCH AND THE CLOCK-TOWER 
 
 'HEN the Little Boy first went to the Old 
 Tobacco Shop, he stood a long while before 
 going in, to look at the wooden figure which 
 stood beside the door. 
 
 His father was sitting at home in his carpet-slip- 
 pers, waiting for tobacco for his pipe, but when the 
 Little Boy saw the wooden figure he forgot all about 
 hurrying, — "Now don't be long," his mother had said, 
 and his father had said "Hurry back," — but he forgot 
 all about hurrying, and stood and looked at the wooden 
 figure a long time : a little hunchbacked man, not so 
 very much taller than himself, on a low wooden box, 
 holding out in one hand a packet of black wooden 
 cigars. His back was terribly humped up between his 
 shoulders, his face was square and bony, if wood can 
 be said to be bony, he was bareheaded and baldheaded, 
 he had a wide mouth, and his high nose curved down 
 over it and his pointed chin curved up under it; and 
 his breast stuck out in front almost as much as his 
 shoulders stuck out behind. 
 
 The Little Boy's name was Freddie; his mother 
 called him that, and his father usually called him Fred; 
 
2 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 but sometimes his father called him Frederick, in fact 
 whenever he didn't come back after he had been told 
 to hurry, and then his father looked at him — you 
 know that look — and said "Frederick!" just like that. 
 But his mother never called him anything but Freddie, 
 even when he was late. 
 
 He grasped his money tight in his hand, as he had 
 been told to do, and stood and looked at the little 
 hunchbacked wooden man holding out his packet of 
 black wooden cigars. "I wonder," thought Freddie, 
 "what makes him so crooked?" He walked around 
 him and looked at his back. He walked around in 
 front of him again and wondered if the black cigars in 
 his hand would smoke; he decided he would ask about 
 it. The little man wore blue knee breeches and black 
 stockings and buckled shoes, and his coat was cut away 
 in front over his stomach and had two tails behind, 
 down to his knees. It was easy to see that he wasn't 
 a boy, though, even if he did wear knee breeches; you 
 only had to look at his face, for he had the kind of 
 hard boniness in his face that grownups have. Freddie 
 made up his mind that he liked him, anyway; and it 
 must have been hard to have to stand out there all day 
 without moving, rain or shine, and offer that bunch of 
 cigars to all the people vi^ho went by, and never get 
 a single soul to take them. Freddie put out his other 
 hand (not the one with the money in it) towards the 
 cigars, but he quickly drew it back, for he looked at 
 the little man's face at the same time, and there was 
 something about his eyes — anyhow, he stood back a 
 little. 
 
 "Better be careful o' Mr. Punch, young feller," said 
 a deep voice from the shop door. 
 
 Freddie looked, and in the doorway, leaning against 
 the doorpost, with his hands in his trousers' pockets, 
 
MR. PUNCH AND THE CLOCK-TOWER 3 
 
 and one foot crossed over the other, stood a little man, 
 not so very much taller than himself, and certainly no 
 ■"aller than the figure on the stand, who stared at Fred- 
 die as if he knew all about human boys and did not 
 trust them out of his sight. Freddie looked at him 
 and then at the wooden figure beside the door; they 
 might have been brothers. The little man had a hump 
 on his back, and his breast stuck out in front; his 
 head was big and square, and he had high cheek-bones; 
 his face was bony and his mouth wide, and his big 
 nose curved down and his chin curved up; but he 
 did not wear knee breeches; his trousers were the 
 trousers of grown-ups, and his coat was a square coat, 
 buttoned tight over his chest from top to bottom. He 
 was bareheaded, and he had plenty of hair, brushed 
 from the top of his head down towards his forehead. 
 He looked as if he belonged to the tobacco shop; or 
 perhaps the tobacco shop belonged to him. 
 
 He stared at Freddie without blinking, and there was 
 something in his eyes — anyway, Freddie stepped back, 
 and held his money tighter In his hand behind him. 
 
 "You'd better stand away from Mr. Punch," said the 
 hunchbacked man, without moving. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "Did you say 'why'? Because you know I'm ter- 
 rible deef, and can't never hear boys when they talk 
 down in their stomicks. I'll tell you why, as long as 
 you ast me. Do you see that clock on the church- 
 tower over there?" He nodded his big wooden head 
 up the street, without taking his hands from his pockets. 
 Freddie looked, and there the clock was, plain enough. 
 "Well," said the hunchbacked man, "I'll tell you, seeing 
 as you Insist upon it, and won't take no for an answer; 
 but you mustn't never tell It to no one. Do you 
 promise me that? Cross your heart?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. 
 
4 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Done," said the hunchback. "Mr. Punch's father 
 lives up there behind that clock. And sometimes, just 
 exactly when the two hands of that clock come together, 
 one on top of the other, mind you, like you lay one stick 
 along another, Mr. Punch's father comes out and stands 
 on that there sill under the clock; he's a little old man 
 with a long white beard; and he stands there and puts 
 his hand to his mouth and calls down here to Mr. 
 Punch, and Mr. Punch climbs down off his little perch 
 and goes over to that church, and climbs up the inside 
 of that tower to the very top and meets his father! 
 And I've heard tell that they have regular high jinks 
 up there all by theirselves, and vittles ! more vittles and 
 drink than you ever seen at one time; yes, sir; a regu- 
 lar feast, as sure as you're born; and they don't only 
 eat vittles; no, sir; if they can only get hold of a 
 nice plump little boy or two, with plenty o' meat to 
 him, that's what they like best; and if it happens to be 
 night-time, there's a lot of queer ones with 'em up 
 there, and all sorts of queer noises — you ask the sex- 
 tant over there about it — he's heard 'em; and if you 
 should just happen to be around when Mr. Punch 
 climbs down off of this here perch, you'd better look 
 out; for he's just as likely as not to snatch you up 
 and carry you off with him up there into that churcli-: 
 tower to his father, and if he does that, that's the last 
 of you; and your ma and your pa could cry their 
 eyes out, and it wouldn't be no use; you'd be gone! 
 And never come back no more. They say there's many 
 a boy been took up into that tower by Mr. Punch here 
 when his father comes out and calls him. But he 
 don't always come out when the hands of the clock 
 come together; nobody ever knows when he's going 
 to do it, no sirree; Mr. Punch himself never know&|p 
 when his father's going to call him. Lord bless us! 
 cried the little hunchback, looking up again in alarm at 
 
MR. PUNCH AND THE CLOCK-TOWER 5 
 
 the clock in the church-tower. "Lord bless us, look 
 at that!" 
 
 Freddie stared at the clock. It was twenty-five min- 
 utes past five. He knew how to tell twelve o'clock 
 and ten minutes to ten, but he had never got as far 
 •^ as twenty-five minutes past five; he could easily see, 
 ' however, that the big hand was almost on top of the 
 little hand. He edged away further from the wooden 
 figure on the box; he was almost sure that the hand 
 which held the cigars moved a little. 
 
 The hunchbacked man in the doorw,ay stood up 
 straight on his two feet and took his hands out of 
 his pockets. 
 
 "Look alive, young feller!" he said. "It's pretty 
 near time! In another minute! I can't help it if Mr. 
 Punch's father comes out and — Quick, boy! Come 
 here to me, before it's too late! I'll see if I can 
 save you !" 
 
 Freddie gave another look at the clock; the hands 
 were surely almost together, and quick as a flash he 
 darted to the hunchback and hid behind him and held 
 on to his coat, peeping around him through the door- 
 way. The little man put his arm about Freddie and 
 held him close; it was a strong muscular arm, and 
 Freddie felt quite safe. The little man could not have 
 been laughing, for his face was as solemn and wooden- 
 looking as ever; but Freddie could feel his body shaking 
 all over, he couldn't tell why. 
 
 "You'd better come in and see Aunt Amanda," he 
 said, "before it's too late. You'll be safe in there." 
 
 He took Freddie by the hand and drew him into the 
 shop. 
 
 The Old Tobacco Shop stands at the corner of two 
 
 streets, as you surely must know if you have ever 
 
 H^een in the city that lies on the river called Patapsco, 
 
 which runs along ever so far out of a great bay where 
 
 ships sail from all over the world, called Chesapeake 
 
6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Bay. It Is an old brick house, and you go into the 
 shop by the door that opens in the side just round the 
 corner, not in the front, for there isn't any door at 
 the front, but only a window with pipes and cigars 
 and tobacco in it, and the stuffed head of a bull-dog 
 with a pipe in his mouth. The house is only one story 
 and a half high, and has a steep gabled roof, with 
 two dormer windows in the slope of the roof above the 
 side of the house, and one dormer window in the 
 slope of the roof above the shop-window in front, 
 where the bull-dog is. All the other houses fronting 
 in the row are good high two-story houses; why this 
 corner house never grew up like the others, no one 
 knows. 
 
 When Freddie was standing at the corner of the 
 street, before he had seen the wooden figure offering 
 his bundle of wooden cigars there beside the door, he 
 looked down the street that runs along the side of the 
 shop, across the street that crosses it, and saw the 
 masts of tall ships in the harbor beside the wharves; 
 some with their sails up, some with their sails hang- 
 ing most untidily, and some with their sails neatly 
 rolled up and tied; and he would certainly have gone 
 down there, only his father had told him to hurry. 
 
 Freddie lived In a fine two-story brick house In 
 a row like this one, a long, long way off; three squares 
 (off (they say "squares" in that city when they mean 
 a straight line between two streets and not a square at 
 all) down the same street on which the Old Tobacco 
 Shop fronts; and it really takes a good while to go all 
 tihat way, for there Is a boy half-way down, a big boy, 
 who belongs to a Gang, and likes to bully little boys, 
 and you have to watch your chance to get out of his 
 way. and there is a place with a knot-hole In the fence 
 where you can see all kinds of rusty springs and bed- 
 rails and birdcages and barrel hoops piled up inside 
 
MR. PUNCH AND THE CLOCK-TOWER 7 
 
 the yard, and a tin-can factory where you can pick up 
 little round pieces of tin just as good as dollars, and 
 a church (where the clock is) with a fat old man 
 sitting on the pavement in a chair tilted back against 
 the church wall smoking a long pipe, who doesn't 
 mind being stared at from the curbstone, and a street- 
 car track where you have to look out for the horse-car, 
 which is very dangerous when the horse begins to trot, 
 and — but Freddie hadn't lived long in his fine two- 
 story house in that street, and these things were new 
 to him and took time. But the newest and biggest 
 thing he had yet found (not that it was really big, you 
 know) was the wooden hunchback outside the door of 
 the Old Tobacco Shop; and you have seen how much 
 time that took. 
 
 Freddie found himself Inside the shop, and his hand 
 grasped tight by the big strong hand of the hunch- 
 back, so tight that he wriggled a little to get loose; 
 but the hunchback only held him tighter. "Come 
 along," he said, "you'd better come in here and see 
 my Aunt Amanda, or Mr. Punch may step out and 
 get you; and then where would you be?" 
 
 Freddie looked back out of doors over his shoulder, 
 but it did not seem as if Mr. Punch meant to step 
 out that time. He breathed easier. The shop was 
 a very little shop, with shelves on the wall behind 
 the counter, and a window in front where he saw the 
 back of the bull-dog's head. The two show-cases on 
 the counter were full of pipes of all kinds, and cigars 
 and tobacco and cigarettes, and piled on the shelves 
 were boxes of cigars and jars and tins of tobacco, and 
 on the wooden top of the counter between the two show- 
 cases stood a tobacco-cutter and a little pair of scales 
 with a scoop lying besfde it and little iron weights in 
 a box. The counter ran from the front window 
 length-wise to the back of the shop, and at the back, 
 
8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 on your left as you went In, was a closed door. A 
 wooden chair with arms stood beside the front window. 
 You could get behind the counter only by a swinging 
 gate at the back end. There was a delightful warm 
 odour about the place, very much the same odour 
 Freddie liked to smell when his father opened his old 
 tobacco-box on the mantel-piece in the sitting-room 
 upstairs and filled his pipe, when he came home in the 
 evening and put on his carpet-slippers and spread out 
 that everlasting newspaper that had no pictures in it. 
 He never could understand why his mother opened all 
 the windows the next morning. 
 
 **A11 right, young feller," said the hunchback, "we'll 
 get on the other side of that door, and then we'll be 
 safe. Here we are." 
 
 They reached the door at the back of the shop, and 
 the hunchback opened it and pulled Freddie into the 
 back room and closed the door behind them. Freddie 
 hung back a little, but his hand was gripped tight, and 
 he couldn't have got away if he had tugged with all 
 his might. He was not so much afraid now of Mr. 
 Punch and his father, but he didn't know what this 
 little man was going to do with him; and besides, his 
 father had told him to hurry. 
 
 In this back room, near a window which looked out 
 on the street, sat a lady. The hunchback marched 
 Freddie up to her and stopped there before her, and 
 wagged his head sidewlse towards the Little Boy. The 
 hunchback and the Little Boy stood hand in hand, and 
 the lady looked at them steadily. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 AUNT AMANDA AND THE TWO OLD CODGERS 
 
 **"¥* TERE'S Aunt Amanda," said the hunchback, 
 I — I standing before the lady who was sitting near 
 -»- -■- the window, and letting go of Freddie's hand, 
 "and here's a boy that Mr. Punch pretty near got hold 
 of, if I hadn't come along just in time and hustled him 
 in here. Just look out of that window, Aunt Amanda, 
 and see if Mr. Punch has moved yet." 
 
 The lady did not look out of the window, but stared 
 at Freddie with her mouth shut tight. She had very 
 thin lips and she pressed them tight together; and with- 
 out opening them more than a wee mite she said to 
 the hunchback, sternly : 
 
 ''Obelllackyoomuptwonyerlx." 
 
 Freddie could not understand this at all. He looked 
 at her closely. She was very thin, and had a high 
 beaked nose and reddish hair and a reddish skin, and 
 on the left side of her chin was a mole, with three little 
 reddish hairs sticking out of it; she wore a rusty black 
 dress, very tight above the waist and very wide below, 
 and in the bosom of this dress were sticking dozens, 
 maybe hundreds, for all Freddie could tell, of pins and 
 needles. She must have been very tall when she stood 
 up. A cane leaned against the back of her chair; she 
 was a little lame; not very lame, but enough to make 
 her limp when she walked, and to make her cane useful 
 in getting about. If she had had a stiff starched ruff 
 about her neck and a lace thing on her head pointed 
 in front, she would have done very well for Queen 
 
 9 
 
lo THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Elizabeth, the one you see the picture of in that history- 
 book. There was a thimble on the second finger of her 
 right hand, and a pair of scissors hung by a tape at her 
 waist; and around her neck she wore a measuring tape. 
 On the floor at her feet lay a pile of goods, and some 
 of it was in her lap; the kind of goods that Mother 
 has around her when she is turning and making over 
 that old blue serge, and gathers up out of Father's way 
 when she hears him coming in towards the sitting-room. 
 
 At Aunt Amanda's elbow stood an oval marble- 
 topped table, and besides a work-basket there were sev- 
 eral fascinating things on it. In the center was a 
 glass dome, and under the glass dome was the most 
 beautiful basket of wax flowers — calla lilies mostly, 
 with a wonderful yellow spike like a finger sticking up 
 out of each one. On one side of the wax flowers was 
 a thick book with blue plush covers, and the word 
 "Album" across it in slanting gold letters. On the 
 other side was a kind of a — well, it had a handle under 
 a piece of wood to hold it up by, and a frame at one 
 end to stick up a picture in, and two pieces of thick 
 glass in a frame at the other end to look through at 
 the picture and make the picture look all — yoii know! 
 — as if the people in the back of it were a long way 
 behind, and the people in front right close up in front, 
 and all that; Freddie's father had one. 
 
 The chairs in the room had thin curved legs and those 
 slippery horse-hair seats which Freddie hated to sit 
 on. On the walls were portraits in oval frames of men 
 with chin-whiskers and no mustaches, and ladies in 
 shawls and bonnets; but there was one square frame, 
 and it had no picture under its glass, but a sheaf of 
 real wheat, standing up as natural as life, with some 
 kind of curly writing over it; it was simply beautiful. 
 There was a clock on the marble mantel-piece, tall and 
 square-cornered, with a clear circle in the glass below 
 where you could see the round weight of the pendulum 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 1 1 
 
 go back and forth, and a picture of the sun on the 
 face, very red, with a big nose and eyes, and stiff red 
 hair floating off from it. 
 
 Aunt Amanda stuck a pin In the goods In her lap and 
 folded her hands. Freddie, after glancing around the 
 room, looked at her again and wondered who she was; 
 plain sewing she was, that was sure, also an aunt; and 
 besides that, although Freddie did not know It, she was 
 an old — I hate to say it, though It wasn't anything 
 really against her, if you come to that, — an old — well, 
 you know what you call them behind their backs, or 
 shout after them as they go down the street and then 
 whip around the corner when they turn, just simply 
 because they haven't ever been married, like Mother, — 
 well, then, an Old Maid. 
 
 Being an Old Maid, she of course wore no wedding 
 ring; but on her wedding-finger, the third finger of her 
 left hand, there was a mark at the place where a wed- 
 ding ring would have been; a kind of birth-mark, ruby 
 red. In shape and size like the ruby stone of a ring. 
 Freddie looked a*^ It often afterwards. 
 
 "Now you look here, Aunt Amanda," said her 
 nephew, taking hold of Freddie's hand again, "you 
 know well enough I can't understand you with all them 
 pins — " 
 
 Aunt Amanda put a hand to her lips and drew out 
 of her mouth a pin and stuck it in the bosom of her 
 dress. She put her hand to her lips again and drew 
 forth another pin and stuck It In the bosom of her 
 dress. She drew forth another and another, and stuck 
 each one In her dress. Freddie's eyes opened wide; 
 did this lady eat pins? Her mouth seemed to be full 
 of them; didn't they hurt? It didn't seem possible 
 she could eat them, and yet there they were. No won- 
 der she couldn't talk plainly. There seemed to be no 
 
12 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 end to the pins, but there was, and at last her mouth 
 was clear of them so that she could talk. 
 
 "Toby LIttleback," said she, "you're up to one o' 
 your tricks again. Ain't you ashamed of yourself?" 
 That was what she had meant by saying, "Obelilack- 
 yoomuptwonyerix," with her mouth full of pins. 
 
 Toby was quite crestfallen. "Well," he said, "I 
 guess it ain't no hangin' matter. All I done was to 
 bring the boy in to see you. 'N' this is what I get 
 fer it every time. I ain't agoing to bring 'em in any 
 more, that's flat." 
 
 "Let go o' the child," said Aunt Amanda, sharply. 
 "Can't you see you're hurting his hand? Come here, 
 boy." 
 
 Mr. Littleback dropped Freddie's hand and walked 
 over to the table beside his aunt. Freddie came forward 
 timidly and stood at Aunt Amanda's knee. She ex- 
 amined him carefully. 
 
 "It's the best one yet," she said. "Boy, do you know 
 you're as pretty as a — Well, anyway, what is your 
 name?" 
 
 If there was one thing Freddie loathed, it was to be 
 called pretty; he had heard it before, in the parlor at 
 home, when he had been trotted out to be inspected by 
 female visitors, and he had tried many a time to scrub 
 off the rosy redness from his cheeks, but he had found 
 it only made it worse. He hung his head a little, and 
 could not find his voice. Aunt Amanda took his chin 
 in her hand and gently held up his head. 
 
 "It's all right, my dear," said she. "What is your 
 name, now?" 
 
 "Fweddie," said the Little Boy. 
 
 "It ain't neither!" cried Mr. Littleback. "There 
 ain't no such name. It's Freddie ! Come on, now, 
 say Freddie!" 
 
 "Fweddie," said the Little Boy. 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 13 
 
 "No, no!" cried Toby. "Try it again, now. Say 
 
 Freddie!" 
 
 "Toby," said Aunt Amanda, "shut up. Freddie, I 
 haven't any little boy, and I don't get out very much, 
 and I'd like you to come and see me sometimes. Would 
 you like to do that?" 
 
 Freddie stared at her, and said, "Yes'm." 
 
 "I hope you will, often. Be sure you do. I sup- 
 pose you don't like gingerbread? Toby." 
 
 The little hunchback went out briskly through a back 
 door and returned with a slice of gingerbread. "Baked 
 today," said his aunt. "But what time is it? Quarter 
 to six. Too near suppertime. You mustn't eat It now, 
 Freddie. Toby, wrap it up." 
 
 Toby went into the shop and returned with a paper 
 sack, and putting the gingerbread into it gave it to 
 Freddie. 
 
 "Now," said Aunt Amanda, "take it home with you 
 and eat it after supper. Will you come to see me?" 
 
 "Yes'm," said Freddie as if he meant it. You couldn't 
 get gingerbread at home between meals every day in 
 the week. 
 
 "That's a good boy. Now run away home." 
 
 "Please, sir," said Freddie, holding out the money in 
 his hand, "my farver wants half a pound of Cage- 
 Roach Mitchner." 
 
 "What? Oh !"_ said Toby. /T see. Half a pound 
 of Stage-Coach Mixture. All right, young feller, come 
 along into the shop." 
 
 "Good-bye, Freddie, and don't break the ginger- 
 bread before you get home," said Aunt Amanda, taking 
 into her mouth a palmful of pins with a back toss of 
 her head. Had she swallowed them? Freddie stared 
 at her in alarm. 
 
 "Ain't you never comin' for the tobacco?" said 
 
14 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Toby. "I can't keep all them customers In the shop 
 waiting all day." 
 
 Freddie followed him into the shop. 
 
 "lou'U have to wait your turn, young feller," said 
 Toby. "I can't keep these customers waiting no longer. 
 What'll you have, Mr. Applejohn?" 
 
 Freddie looked around for Mr. Applejohn, but so 
 far as he could see there was no one in the shop but 
 himself and Mr. Littleback. The hunchback went 
 through the swinging gate and stood behind the 
 counter, and looked over it (his head and shoulders 
 just came over the top) at Mr. Applejohn. 
 
 "No," said Toby, "we're just out of it. Very sorry. 
 But I have something just as good. No? Well, then, 
 come around tomorrow; yes, sir; between ten and 
 eleven. Now, then, Tom, it's your turn. You want 
 what? No, sir, I won't sell no cigarettes to no boy, so 
 you can clear out. You ought to be ashamed o' your- 
 self, smoking cigarettes at your age. No use arguin', 
 I won't do it. You can get right out o' here." The 
 big wooden-looking head winked an eye at Freddie. 
 "That's the way I treat 'em. Did you see how he 
 skipped off in a hurry? You saw him go, didn't you?" 
 
 Freddie looked at the door. He hadn't seen any- 
 body, but after all that talk there must have been 
 somebody there; he couldn't be sure; probably he had 
 been mistaken about it; grownup people ought to know 
 what they were talking about; perhaps he had seen 
 somebody. He hesitated. 
 
 "I — I think so; I believe so; yes, sir." 
 
 "Don't you fool yourself, young man. You can't 
 smoke cigarettes If you ever want to grow up. Look at 
 me. Do you see this?" He turned his back and 
 reached over his shoulder to his hump. "Cigarettes. 
 That's what done It. Cigarettes. I smoked 'em along 
 with my bottle of milk, regular, when I was a kid, and 
 look at me now, not much bigger than Mr. Punch out 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 15 
 
 there. Cigarettes. Maybe you might think it was the 
 bottle o' milk done it, instead of the cigarettes, being 
 as they was at the same time; but don't you never 
 believe it. Cigarettes ! You keep off of 'em. Now 
 pipe-tobacco! That's a different thing. If I'd only 
 stuck to a pipe, along with that bottle o' milk, look 
 how high I'd 'a' been now! What kind o' tobacco did 
 you say your farver wanted? Housewife's Favorite?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. "My farver he wants half 
 a pound of Cage-Roach Mitchner." 
 
 "That's it," said Toby. "I don't see how I come to 
 forget that name. Your father's a man o' good com- 
 mon sense. Nothing like Cage-Roach, Here it is." 
 He turned to the shelf behind him and mounted a 
 little ladder and took down a large tin. While he was 
 scooping out the tobacco at the counter and weighing; 
 it on the scales and doing it up, he was singing to' 
 himself, and Freddie stared at him with rapt attention. 
 
 "Some day," said Mr. Littleback, without pausing 
 in his work or looking at Freddie, "them eyes of yourn 
 will pop right out of your head, if you ain't careful. 
 Did you ever hear that song?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "Would you like to hear it?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "It's about two old codgers — friends of mine; they 
 come in here regular. One of 'em's a good customer 
 and pays spot cash; the other one never buys nothing; 
 and I can't say which one of 'em I like worse. Any- 
 way, here's how it goes : 
 
 "Oh-h-h ! There was an old codger, and 
 he had a wooden leg. 
 And he never bought tobacco when to- 
 bacco he could beg." 
 
 "Don't you never let yourself get into that habit, 
 young man. Always buy your tobacco fair and square. 
 
1 6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 I've known 'em — this feller and many another one — 
 never have a grain o' tobacco left in their pouch — just 
 used up the very last bit two minutes before, and always 
 a-beggin' a pipeful, and right here in my own shop too, 
 where I sell tobacco, mind you — I'd like 'em better if 
 they sneaked in and stole it, I would, any day. But the 
 other one! I don't know that I'd want to be him 
 neither, if I had to choose between 'em, — however — 
 
 "Another old codger, as sly as a fox! 
 And he always had tobacco in his old 
 tobacco box. 
 
 "Count on him for that ! He never begs no tobacco, 
 nor gives away none either. However, he ain't such 
 a general nuisance as the other one, and he pays spot 
 cash. I'll have to say that much for him. But in 
 spite o' everything and all, I can't seem to make myself 
 care for him, much. Anyway — 
 
 "Said the one old codger, Won't ye 
 gimme a chew? 
 Said the other old codger, I'll be 
 hanged if I do ! 
 
 "They're a fine pair now, ain't they? One of 'em a 
 nuisance and the other one a grouch. You'll see 'em 
 here both in my shop one o' these days, when you're 
 a-visitin' Aunt Amanda, and one of them times — you 
 ,see the way I bounced that boy that wanted cigarettes, 
 'didn't you? Well, that's what I'm goin' to do to 
 'them two old codgers one of these days, you watch 
 and see if I don't; yes, sir; both of 'em, as sure as I've 
 got a hump on my back. But it's pretty good advice, 
 after all, what the song says, — 
 
 "So save up your pennies and put away 
 your rocks, 
 And you'll always have tobacco in your 
 old tobacco box! 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 17 
 
 "Here's your Cage-Roach. Gimme your money. 
 There's your change; five, ten, fifteen, seventeen. Now 
 run along. Come back again; what did you say your 
 name was?" 
 
 "Fweddie." 
 
 "You mean Freddie, don't you?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Why don't you say what you mean? Well, Fred- 
 die, there's plenty of tobacco left in this shop, so you 
 can come in whenever the old tobacco box at home 
 runs out. And don't forget to come in to see Aunt 
 Amanda. Plenty of goods left in the shop whenever — 
 you see all that?" He pointed up towards the shelves. 
 "I'll tell you something I ain't told to but mighty few 
 people before. There's a jar of smoking tobacco up 
 there that's just plain magic. Magic! You know 
 what that means?" 
 
 Freddie started, and looked up at the shelves in 
 alarm. He nodded. 
 
 "It's that one, on the middle shelf; the Chinaman's 
 head. Do you see it?" 
 
 He pointed to a white porcelain jar, shaped like a 
 human head. Freddie could see that it was the head 
 of some foreign kind of man, with a little round blue 
 cap on top, which was probably the lid. 
 
 "That tobacco in that Chinaman's head is magic, 
 as sure as you're alive. I wouldn't smoke it if you'd 
 give me all the plum puddings in this city next Christ- 
 mas; no, sir; and I wouldn't allow nobody else to smoke 
 it, neither; I just naturally wouldn't dare to. Do you 
 know where that tobacco come from? A sailor off 
 of one them ships down there in the harbor, that come 
 all the way from China — yes, sir, China! — give it to 
 me once for a quid of plug-cut; what you might call 
 broke, he was, and it wasn't any use to him because 
 he didn't smoke, but he did chew; and he told me all 
 
1 8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 about It; he stole it from an old sorcerer in China, 
 where he'd just come from. Don't you never touch It! 
 I wouldn't want to be in your boots if you ever smoked 
 that tobacco in that there Chinaman's head! You can 
 steal anything else in this shop, and it wouldn't do 
 much harm to anybody; but you keep your hands off 
 of that Chinaman's tobacco, mind what I'm telling 
 
 you 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. He had never thought 
 about smoking before, in connection with himself, but 
 now for the first time he began to wish that he knew 
 how to smoke. It would be worth risking something 
 to take a whiff or two of the magic tobacco in that 
 Chinaman's head, just to see what would happen. 
 
 "Do you think you'd better go home now?" said 
 Mr. Littleback. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. "My farver told me tO' 
 hurry." 
 
 "Oh, he did! Indeed!" 
 
 The hunchback followed Freddie to the door, and 
 they looked up together at the clock in the church- 
 tower. 
 
 "Ah!" said Toby. "You're safe. Just six o'clock. 
 Mr. Punch's father can't come out for about half an 
 hour yet." 
 
 Freddie looked back as he crossed the street, and 
 saw the live hunchback leaning against the wooden 
 hunchback, with one foot crossed over the other; he 
 could hardly tell which was which, except for the 
 coat and breeches. He went on up the street with 
 his package of tobacco in one hand and his package 
 of gingerbread in the other. As he passed the church, 
 he lingered a moment to stare at the great fat man 
 with spectacles, who was sitting on the pavement in 
 a chair tilted back against the church-wall, smoking 
 a long pipe and reading a newspaper; could this be the 
 "sextant" of the church, whom Mr. Toby had men- 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 19 
 
 tioned, and who had heard the queer noises from the 
 top of the tower when Mr. Punch and his father were 
 up there having their high jinks? He tried to get up 
 his courage to ask the fat man about it, but he could 
 not get the words out. He stared so long that the 
 fat man finally put down his paper and took the pipe 
 from his mouth and looked over his spectacles and 
 said: 
 
 "If you're conslderin' making a bid for the property, 
 young man, I'll see what the senior Churchwarden has 
 to say about it. How much do you offer?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie, blushing in confusion, and 
 went on up the street. He understood nothing of 
 what the fat man had said, but he caught the word 
 "churchwarden," and remembered it. 
 
 He did not walk very fast, for he had a good deal 
 to think about; so many things had never happened 
 to him in one day before. He dwelt especially, in his 
 mind, on the two old codgers who were friends of 
 Mr. Toby, and he supposed that his own father never 
 saved up his pennies, otherwise his old tobacco box 
 would not be empty every now and then. However, he 
 was glad that his father was a spendthrift, because 
 it would give him a chance to go to the Old Tobacco 
 Shop sometimes for more tobacco for the box; and 
 apart from Aunt Amanda and her gingerbread, he 
 was very anxious to look again at the Chinaman's 
 head in which lay the magic tobacco which he must 
 not touch. One thing was sure; he would never go 
 without looking carefully first at the hands of the 
 clock. He wished he knew how to smoke; only not 
 cigarettes; he shivered when he thought of the terrible 
 consequences. 
 
 When he came to the street-car track, the horse- 
 car was going past; at least, it was coming down the 
 street, and he did not want to be run over by that 
 horse; he had better wait, for the horse was trotting; 
 
20 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 his mother had warned him about it; he sat down on 
 the curb. He had quite a moment or two to wait, and 
 there would be time to give a hasty glance at the 
 gingerbread. He laid the tobacco-sack beside him on 
 the curb, and opened the other package; the car-horse 
 had dropped into a walk and his bell was hardly jing- 
 ling; there was no hurry after all; it would never 
 do to cross in front of that horse even though he was 
 walking. He looked at the gingerbread; it was fresh 
 and soft, and its smell, when held close to the nose, 
 was nothing less than heavenly; It was a pity it had to 
 be hidden away again in the sack, but the horse was 
 going by and the danger would soon be past. He held 
 the gingerbread under his nose, merely to smell it; the 
 edge of it touched his upper lip by chance, and there 
 was something peculiar about the feel of it, he couldn't 
 tell exactly what; it was very Interesting; he touched It 
 with the tip of his tongue, to see if it felt the same 
 to his tongue as to his lip ; It was just the same ; perhaps 
 teeth would be different; his teeth sank Into It, just for 
 a trial. The horse was going by now, and the driver 
 was looking at him. He forgot what he was about, 
 in watching the horse and his driver, as they went on 
 past him; the gingerbread completely slipped his mind, 
 and when he turned his head back from the horse-car 
 and came to himself he found, to his amazement, that 
 his mouth was full of gingerbread. He wondered at 
 first how It got there, but there was no use In wonder- 
 ing; there It was, and It had to be swallowed; his 
 mother would never approve of his spitting it out; and 
 so, to please his mother, he swallowed it. The horse- 
 car was nearly a square away; he could cross the track 
 at any time now; there was no hurry. 
 
 When he came into the fine two-story brick house 
 where he lived, with only one package In his hand, 
 his mother threw up her hands and said: 
 
AUNT AMANDA AND TWO OLD CODGERS 2 1 
 
 "Why, Freddie! Where on earth have you been? 
 Did you get lost? Are you hungry?" 
 
 "No'm. _ Yes'm," said Freddie. 
 
 "Frederick," said his father, looking at him with 
 that look, "where have you been? Didn't I tell you 
 to hurry?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, to Mr. Punch's, and I didn't see his 
 farver at all, but the hands come'd right over on top 
 of each other and ha didn't get down off of his perch, 
 he didn't, so Mr. Toby took me in to see Aunt Na- 
 manda and she eats pins, and it's cigarettes that gives 
 you that hump on the back, only tobacco's all right 
 'cause you smoke it in a pipe and it doesn't do you any 
 harm at all, and that's what Mr. Toby says and he 
 ought to know 'cause he's got one on his back his own 
 self, but you mustn't touch that tobacco in the head 
 'cause it's magic and the sailor said so, and here's the 
 Cage-Roach Mitchner, and that's all." 
 
 You will notice that he said nothing about the 
 gingerbread. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 INTRODUCING THE CHURCHWARDEN 
 
 VERY time Freddie visited the Old Tobacco 
 Shop after that — and It was pretty often, 
 whether the tobacco box at home needed tobacco 
 or not, for there were a good many things that drew 
 him there, and he hardly knew which was the most 
 fascinating: there was always a chance of ginger- 
 bread, and you could usually depend on seeing Aunt 
 Amanda eat pins, and you could look through the two 
 pieces of glass at the double picture and make It all 
 one picture with the people in It standing out as if they 
 were real, and Mr. Toby would often sing about his 
 friends the two old Codgers and talk about their mean 
 ways, and Mr. Punch was always waiting for his father 
 outside the door, so that you had to keep your eyes on 
 the time, or at least the clock (which is different), a-nd 
 sometimes Mr. Toby would let you in behind the 
 counter and let you scoop tobacco Into a paper sack, 
 and when his back was turned you could stand under 
 the Chinaman's head with the magic tobacco in it, and 
 = look up at it and wonder what would happen if you 
 took just one or two little teeny whiffs — But I forget 
 what I started to tell you. Oh, yes. Every time Fred- 
 die visited the Old Tobacco Shop, Mr. Toby would 
 ask him his name, in order to see if he was grown up 
 yet. 
 
 "What's your name today?" Mr. Toby would say. 
 
 "Fweddle," would be the Little Boy's answer. 
 
 "Not yet," Mr. Toby would say, shaking his head 
 sadly. "You ain't grown up yet. Fm very sorry to 
 
 22 
 
INTRODUCING THE CHURCHWARDEN 23 
 
 have to tell you, son, but you've got to wait a while 
 before you're grown up. I'll tell you what; I'll give 
 you six months more," said Mr. Toby on one occasion. 
 "If you ain't grown up by that time, there's no hope 
 for you; I hate to have to say it, but you might as well 
 know it one time as another." And the very next time 
 the Little Boy came he said his name was "Fweddie," 
 and Mr. Toby said, "Well, never mind, you've got five 
 months and twenty-eight days left, and there's hope yet. 
 I suppose you wouldn't want to be a Little Boy all the 
 time, and never grow up at all, would you?" Freddie 
 looked up at him in alarm and said, "No, sir." "Then," 
 said Mr. Toby, "you'd better mind your P's and Q's." 
 
 Freddie wanted to ask about these P's and Q's, but 
 you may have noticed that he was shy, and he could not 
 make up his mind to do so. He knew all about P's 
 and Q's In the Alphabet Book at home, but he did not 
 know how to mind them; he knew how to mind his 
 mother, — sometimes, but how could you mind letters in 
 a book, that couldn't ever say "Don't do that," like 
 mother? He was very anxious on this point, for he 
 knew that his time was growing short, and the Idea 
 of never growing up was simply terrifying; he might 
 as well smoke cigarettes and be done with It. In point 
 of fact, he now had only about a week left, and he 
 wasn't grown up yet. 
 
 But one morning, when the hands of the church clock 
 were wide apart, and all was safe, he passed by Mr. 
 Punch and opened the shop door. Mr. Toby was 
 standing behind the counter, tying up a parcel. He 
 went on tying it up, and said: 
 
 "All right, young feller, It's your turn next. This 
 here package Is for the Sly Old Codger, and he'll be 
 back for It pretty soon, and If it ain't ready, — whew! 
 won't we get blown up, though? Now then, what'll 
 you have? Pound o' Maiden's Prayer?" 
 
24 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "No, sir," said the Little Boy. "I don't want any- 
 thing. I just came." 
 
 "Oh; you just came. By the way, young man, what 
 is your name today?" 
 
 "Freddie!" said the Little Boy. 
 
 Mr. Toby dropped his package and leaned across 
 the counter in amazement. 
 
 "What's that you say?" 
 
 "Freddie!" cried the Little Boy, bursting with pride. 
 
 "Well! Bless my soul! If I ever in my life! As 
 sure as the world! Strike me dead if he didn't say it 
 as plain as — ! Young man," said Mr, Toby, solemnly, 
 and he walked to, the end of the counter, opened the 
 swinging gate, came through, stood in front of Freddie, 
 and shook him by the hand. "Young man, I congratu- 
 late you. It's all right now. But you had an almighty 
 close shave, I can tell you that. Allow me to con- 
 gratulate you, and accept the best wishes of your kind 
 friend, Toby Littleback." 
 
 "Please, sir," said Freddie, opening his eyes wide, 
 "am I grown up now?" 
 
 Mr. Toby stared without speaking, and then threw 
 out both his arms, and for a moment it looked as if 
 he were going to hug the Little Boy, but he evidently 
 thought better of it. 
 
 "Are you — ? Why, of course you are! Ain't I 
 been telling you? But don't you go and presume on 
 it too much, young feller! You don't think you can 
 go and smoke cigarettes now, just because you're grown c 
 up, do you?" 
 
 "Oh no, sir," said Freddie, earnestly. 
 
 "I should hope not. And that there Chinaman's 
 head up there — you don't think you can go and smoke 
 that magic tobacco now, do you? Because if you do!" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie; but he said this a little 
 doubtfully, and he looked at the Chinaman's head with 
 more interest than ever. What was the use of being 
 
INTRODUCING THE CHURCHWARDEN 25 
 
 grown up if you couldn't take a little risk now and then? 
 
 "All right, then!" cried Mr. Toby. "We've got to 
 have a little celebration over this here event, and we'd 
 better go in and see Aunt Amanda about it, right 
 now!" 
 
 He grasped Freddie's hand again, and pulled him 
 to the back door, and through into the back room 
 where Aunt Amanda was sitting by the table with the 
 wax flowers, sewing. 
 
 "Quick! quick! Tell Aunt Amanda your name now, 
 quick! What's your name?" cried Mr. Toby. 
 
 "Freddie!" said the Little Boy, very distinctly, but 
 looking down at the carpet, for fear he should seem 
 proud. 
 
 "We're grown up today," cried Mr. Toby, "and 
 we've got to celebrate!" 
 
 Aunt Amanda raised her eyebrows in astonishment, 
 and said: 
 
 "Esheeraybysart !" 
 
 She put her hand to her mouth and somehow got 
 out into her hand a good mouthful of pins. She laid 
 them down on the table at her elbow, and said: 
 
 "Bless the dear baby's heart! And are you grown 
 up now?" 
 
 "Yes'm," said Freddie, looking up and then down 
 again, for he did not wish to seem too proud. 
 
 Aunt Amanda looked at him for a moment, and 
 took out her handkerchief and blew her nose very 
 loud. % 
 
 "Toby," she said, "what did you mean by a cele- 
 bration?" 
 
 "Tomorrow's Saturday," said he. 
 
 "Well, what of it?" 
 
 Freddie could not understand very well what they 
 were saying after that, except that he was concerned 
 in it somehow, until he heard Aunt Amanda say: 
 
 "You'd better ask his mother, then." 
 
26 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Young man," said Mr. Toby, "if I write a letter 
 to your ma, will you give it to her?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, whereupon Mr. Toby sat 
 down at the other side of the table, with pen and 
 paper and ink, and commenced to write. 
 
 "First," said Aunt Amanda, "there's some of that 
 fruit-cake from last Christmas still in the — " 
 
 "Right you are!" cried Toby, jumping up and going 
 out into the kitchen. 
 
 Freddie ate the fruit-cake, sitting on a hassock at 
 Aunt Amanda's feet, while Toby went on with his let- 
 ter, but in the midst of it Toby went out again, and 
 finally came back with a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade. 
 
 "Don't you go and spill It on the carpet," said he, 
 as he sat down to his writing. 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 Aunt Amanda looked at him, as he sat so seriously 
 on his hassock at her feet, munching his fruit-cake 
 and sipping his lemonade; and she pulled out her 
 pocket-handkerchief and blew her nose again, very 
 loud. She appeared to have a cold. Toby paid no 
 attention to her; his head was lying sidewise on his left 
 arm on the table, and he was squinting at the sheet 
 of paper, and every time his pen came down he closed 
 his mouth tight, and every time his pen went up he 
 opened his mouth wide. Freddie and Aunt Amanda 
 had plenty of time to talk. Under the softenlnf;: In- 
 fluence of fruit-cake and lemonade Freddie found his 
 tongue. 
 
 "What's a Churchwarden?" he said suddenly Into 
 the lemonade-glass, which was just under his nose. 
 
 "Bless the baby!" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "It's a long clay pipe, young man," said Toby, chew- 
 ing the end of his pen-holder, "like you've seen in the 
 case out there in the shop." 
 
 "That ain't what he means," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "You mean a man, don't you, Freddie?" 
 
INTRODUCING THE CHURCHWARDEN 27 
 
 "Yes'm," said Freddie, looking at the cake just 
 going into his mouth. 
 
 "It's a man," said Aunt Amanda, "it's a man that 
 belongs to a church, and he stands guard over the 
 church property, and sees to the repairs, and beats 
 little boys with a cane when they make a noise during 
 service, and takes care nobody don't run away with 
 the collection money, and " 
 
 "How do you spell 'respectfully'?" said Toby, 
 scratching his head with the pen. "Yours respectfully." 
 
 "R-e — " began Aunt Amanda, "s-p-e-c-k — no, that 
 ain't right, — r-e-s — " 
 
 "There's one over at that church," said Freddie, 
 pointing towards the window, "and he smokes one, 
 too." 
 
 "One what, Freddie?" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "A Churchwarden. There's a Churchwarden sits out 
 on the pavement and he smokes a Churchwarden, he 
 does." Freddie was rather proud that he had mastered 
 that difficult word, and he liked to hear himself say It. 
 
 "Oh," said Toby, "I reckon he means the sextant 
 over there. Well, 'Yours respectfully.' I don't give a 
 — hum ! — how you spell it. There she goes. Done. 
 'Yours respectfully, Toby Littleback.' It's blotted up 
 some, by crackey, that's a fact; but I ain't agoin' to 
 write all that over again, not by a jugful." And he 
 took out his handkerchief and wiped the perspiration 
 from his forehead. 
 
 "He's a Churchwarden," Insisted Freddie, swallow- 
 ing the last of the lemonade after the last of the cake. 
 
 "All right," said Toby, "have It your own way. 
 But a sextant's as good as a Churchwarden, In my 
 opinion, any day of the week, — except Sunday, of 
 course." 
 
 Aunt Amanda Inspected the letter, and declared her- 
 self horrified by the blots; but Toby positively refused 
 to go through that exhausting labor again, so she passed 
 
28 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 It grudgingly, and handed it to Freddie in an envelope, 
 and told him to give it to his mother as soon as he got 
 home. 
 
 ''Do you want some more cake and lemonade?" 
 said she. 
 
 "Yes'm," said he. 
 
 "Well, you won't get It, so trot along home." 
 
 In the shop Mr. Toby showed him the churchwarden 
 pipes in the show-case. Freddie wondered how it 
 would taste to smoke some of that magic tobacco in the 
 Chinaman's head in a churchwarden pipe. 
 
 As he passed the church on his way home, he looked 
 for the fat old man who usually sat in his chair tilted 
 back against the wall, but he was not there. Freddie 
 wished to ask him about those noises up in the tower 
 when Mr. Punch and his father were having their 
 high jinks; he had never been able to screw up his 
 courage to the point of asking about this, but now that 
 he was grown up he thought he might be able. 
 
 He gave the letter to his mother, and she read It; 
 but she said nothing to him about it. When his father 
 came home in the evening, she showed the letter to 
 him, and they talked about it, and Freddie could not 
 understand very well what they were saying. Finally 
 his father said: 
 
 "Well, I don't think there would be any harm In it." 
 
 "I suppose not," said his mother. "Fll see them 
 In the morning. He had better wear his Sunday suit 
 and his new shoes." 
 
 This was bad, because it sounded like Sunday-school, 
 and the shoes squeaked. Freddie thought he had better 
 change the subject, so he said: 
 
 "Fm grown up. I can say Freddie. Mr. Toby 
 says so." 
 
 His father laughed, hut his mother took him up In 
 her arms and hugged him close to her breast. 
 
 The next day was In fact Saturday, and after lunch. 
 
INTRODUCING THE CHURCHWARDEN 29 
 
 Freddie's mother helped him, or rather forced him, 
 into his Sunday suit and his new shoes, after a really 
 outrageous piece of washing, which went not only be- 
 hind the ears but actually into them. She put his cap 
 on his head — he always had to move it a trifle after- 
 wards, — looked at his finger-nails again, pulled down 
 his jacket in front and buttoned every button, straight- 
 ened out each of the four wings of his bow tie, took 
 off his cap to see if his hair was mussed and put it on 
 again, pulled down his jacket in front, straightened 
 his tie, altered the position of his cap, put both her 
 arms around him and kissed him, and told him it was 
 nearly two o'clock and he had better hurry. As soon 
 as she had gone in, after watching him go off down the 
 street, he unbuttoned every button of his jacket, put 
 his cap on the back of his head, and In crossing the 
 street-car track deliberately walked his shiny squeak- 
 ing shoes into a pile of street-sweepings; he then felt 
 better, and went on towards the Old Tobacco Shop. 
 
 As he came to the church, he stopped to look at the 
 hands of the clock; he was in luck; the hands would 
 not be together for ever so long, for it was ten minutes 
 to two. The Churchwarden was sitting in his chair 
 tilted back against the wall, keeping guard over his 
 church; and he was smoking his churchwarden pipe. 
 Freddie walked by very slowly, and his shoes squeaked 
 aloud on the brick pavement. The fat old man gazed 
 at him solemnly, and Freddie looked at the fat old 
 man. The Churchwarden's chair came down on the 
 pavement with a thump. 
 
 "Look here !" he said. "This ain't Sunday ! What's 
 the meaning of all this? It's against the rules to wear 
 them squeaking shoes of a Saturday! The Dean and 
 Chapter has made that rule, by and with the advice 
 and consent of the City Council, don't you know that? 
 And all that big red necktie, too! Did you think it 
 was Sunday?" 
 
30 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie, for he was always honest, 
 even in the face of danger. "I couldn't help it. I 
 didn't want to, but mother made me " 
 
 "Ah! that's it. I thought maybe you'd made a mis- 
 take in the day; then it wouldn't 'a' been so bad. Look 
 here; it's my duty to report this here violation of the 
 Sunday law, but as long as — you're sure you ain't 
 particeps criminis?" 
 
 "No, sir," said the Little Boy earnestly. "My 
 name's Freddie." 
 
 "Well, that makes it different. I though you was 
 another party; young party-ceps; but if you ain't, why 
 — Here; you'll need something to show, in case you 
 should meet the Archdeacon, and he'd want to know 
 why I hadn't reported you — Show him this, and he'll 
 know it's all right." 
 
 The fat Churchwarden fished In his vest pocket and 
 drew out, between a fat thumb and a fat forefinger, 
 a round shining piece of metal, and put It In Freddie's 
 hand. Freddie saw that it was a bright new five-cent 
 piece, commonly called a nickel. He felt better. 
 
 "If you don't meet the Archdeacon between here 
 and LIttleback's Tobacco Shop," went on the Church- 
 warden, "you don't need to keep It any longer; I don't 
 care what you do with it then; only not pickles, mind 
 you !" 
 
 "No sir," said Freddie. 
 
 This was his chance to Inquire about Mr. Punch's 
 father and the noises In the tower, but It was out of 
 his power to stay longer; he was too glad to escape 
 without being reported; and he accordingly went off 
 down the street, squeaking worse than ever, and posi- 
 tively hurrying. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 IN WHICH MR. HANLON MAKES A GREAT IMPRESSION 
 
 FREDDIE found no one in the Tobacco Shop, so 
 he knocked on the door of the back room, and 
 it was instantly opened by Mr. Littleback him- 
 self; but a Mr. Littleback so resplendent that Freddie 
 hardly knew him. 
 
 The suit of clothes which Mr. Littleback wore was 
 beyond any doubt a brand new suit. The ground color 
 of it was a rich mauve, if you know what that is; not 
 exactly purple, nor violet, but somewhere in between; 
 and up and down and across were stripes of brown, 
 making good-sized squares all over him; it was ex- 
 tremely beautiful. His collar was a high white collar, 
 very stiff, and it held up his chin in front like a white- 
 washed fence. His necktie was of a pale-blue satin, 
 with little pink roses painted on It, yes sir, painted! 
 mind you, by hand! It was not one of those trouble- 
 some things that come in a single long piece and take 
 you hours before the glass to twist and turn over and 
 under before you can get them to look like a necktie; 
 no indeed; it was far better than that; it was tied 
 already, by somebody who could do it better than you 
 ever could, and when you bought It, all you had to 
 do was to put it on; fasten those two rubber bands 
 behind with a hook, and there you were; perfect. As 
 to hair, the hand of the barber was yet upon him; his 
 hair, parted on one side, was of a slickness which his 
 own soap never could have accomplished; on the wide 
 side, it lay flat down over his forehead, and there gave 
 a sudden curl backward, like the curve of a hairpin, 
 
 31 
 
32 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 but much more graceful; it is only the most studious 
 barbers who ever learn to do it just right. There 
 were creases down the arms of Mr. Toby's coat and 
 down the front of his trouser-legs. A yellow silk hand- 
 kerchief showed itself, not boldly, but quietly, from his 
 breast pocket. 
 
 As he let Freddie in, and in doing so turned his back 
 to Aunt Amanda, she screamed and cried out: 
 
 "T oby ! Look behind you 1 Merciful heavens !" 
 
 Freddie, in the midst of his admiration of the mag- 
 nificent creature, saw him whirl about and look behind 
 himself in alarm. His aunt pointed at his coat and 
 said sternly, "Come here." 
 
 Freddie saw on the back of Mr. Toby's coat, near 
 the bottom, as he whirled about, a little square white 
 tag. 
 
 Mr. Toby backed up to his aunt, and stood before 
 her, trying to look at his back over his shoulder, while 
 she took her scissors and clipped the threads by which 
 the white tag was sewed to the back of his coat. She 
 held up the tag; it had numbers printed and written 
 on it. 
 
 "Now ain't that just like you, Toby LIttleback," she 
 said, "going out with your tag on your back, with your 
 size on it and your height and age, too, for all I know, 
 for anybody to see that you've got on a splittin' brand 
 new suit right out o' the shop. If you'd 'a' gone out 
 with that on your back, I'd 'a' died with shame right 
 here in this chair. Ain't you even able to dress your- 
 self?" 
 
 "By crickets, that would 'a' been bad," said Toby, 
 considerably upset. "However, you caught it in time, 
 so there ain't no use cryin' over it. Good-bye, Aunt; 
 come along, Freddie, or we'll be late." 
 
 "Ain't you goin' to wear a hat?" said Aunt Amanda. 
 "I declare the man's so excited he don't know what he's 
 doing."- 
 
MR. HANLON MAKES AN IMPRESSION 33 
 
 "Blamed If I didn't come near going without a hat," 
 said Toby. "Here she is." 
 
 He produced his hat from a cupboard In the room, 
 and put it on. It would have been a pity indeed for 
 him to have gone without It. It was a white derby; 
 yes, a while derby. It was the kind of a hat which 
 was known in that city as a "pinochle"; pronounced 
 "pea-knuckle" by all well-informed boys. With the 
 mauve suit and the hand-painted necktie and the white- 
 washed fence, the white derby set him off to perfec- 
 tion, especially as he wore It a little towards the back 
 of his head, so as to show the loveliest part of the 
 plastered curl of his hair on the forehead. Aunt 
 Amanda could not restrain her admiration. 
 
 "You'll do now," she said. "I don't know that I 
 ever seen you look so genteel before." 
 
 Toby, in the embarrassment of being considered gen- 
 teel, put his hands In his trousers pockets. 
 
 "Take them hands out of your pockets," said Aunt 
 Amanda sharply, and he took them out in a hurry. 
 
 "Now, Freddie," she said, "come here a minute, and 
 I'll set you to rights." 
 
 Freddie stood before her knee, not very willingly, 
 and she buttoned his jacket from top to bottom, and 
 put his cap squarely on his head. 
 
 "Now you'd better be off," she said. 
 
 "Good-bye, Aunt, and I wish you were going too," 
 said Toby, his hand on the door-knob. 
 
 "Good-bye, Freddie," said she. 
 
 "Good-bye," said Freddie. 
 
 "Good-bye what?" said she. 
 
 "Aunt Amanda," said he. 
 
 When they were out in the street, and she heard 
 Toby lock the shop door behind him, she took out 
 her handkerchief and blew her nose; her cold was 
 evidently worse, because she blew her nose several 
 times; and then, tucking her handkerchief away in her 
 
34 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 dress, she put her head down on her arm on the table, 
 and cried. 
 
 The first thing Freddie did, as they went up th'e 
 street, was to put his cap back again on the back of 
 his head, and the next thing he did was to unbutton 
 every button of his jacket, from top to bottom. 
 
 The little hunchback w^as in a great hurry, and he 
 dragged the Little Boy along by the hand so fast that 
 he could hardly keep up. As they hurried along, sev- 
 eral naughty boys, observing Mr. Toby's white derby 
 hat, called after him, very rudely, "Pea-knuckle! pea- 
 knuckle !" But Mr. Toby paid no attention, and 
 dragged Freddie along faster than ever. 
 
 "We don't want to miss any of it," said Mr. Toby. 
 "Hurry up, boy." 
 
 They did not have far to go; only four or five 
 "squares." They stopped before a great grimy brick 
 building with a great wide entrance-way. 
 
 "Here we are," said Toby. 
 
 "What does that say up there?" said Freddie. 
 
 "Gaunt Street Theatre," said Toby. "Hurry up." 
 
 Freddie hung back before a signboard on which 
 was a picture of a slender man dressed up in white 
 clothing, very tight, with red and black squares on it; 
 he was leaning against a table; his head and face were 
 a dead white, except for red eyebrows, and a red spot 
 in each cheek, and he had no hair, but a smooth dead- 
 white skin from his forehead to the back of his neck. 
 The peculiar thing was, that his head was on the table 
 beside him, and not on his neck. Freddie pointed to 
 the writing underneath the picture, and said: 
 
 "What does that say?" 
 
 "Hanlon's Superba," said Toby, pulling him along. 
 "Hurry up! We'll be late." ^ 
 
 Mr. Littleback went to a little window In the wall. 
 Inside the entrance-way, and spoke to a man in there, 
 and evidently asked permission to go In, and evidently 
 
MR. HANLON MAKES AN IMPRESSION 3s 
 
 got it; and they did go in, up a flight of stairs, and 
 found themselves suddenly among thousands and thou- 
 sands of people, as it seemed, all sitting in chairs facing 
 the same way, in a vast house lit up by gas light so 
 that it was almost as bright as day; and Toby and 
 Freddie sat down in the very front row of these people, 
 and looked down over a railing in front of them on 
 the heads of thousands and thousands, as it seemed,, 
 of other people, all sitting in chairs facing the same 
 way. Everybody was facing towards a straight wall 
 at the other side of the house, which had pictures 
 painted on it. At the foot of this wall, in a kind of 
 trench, there was a man at a piano, and there were 
 other men with fiddles big and little, and still others 
 with brass things, and they were all playing a tre- 
 mendous tune together, but just after Toby and Fred- 
 die had sat down, they stopped playing and Toby 
 nudged Freddie with his elbow, and said: 
 
 "Now, then, young feller, what do you think of this, 
 eh? Just you wait! Keep your eye on that curtain!" 
 
 He had no sooner said this than somewhere in the 
 house somebody gave a piercing whistle between his 
 fingers, and in a minute there was such a racket that it 
 was impossible to talk. There must have been people 
 above them, and they must certainly Have all been 
 boys; for from up there Freddie heard a clapping of 
 hands and a stamping of feet, all in a regular time, 
 which spread to the whole house, and in the midst of 
 it the boys up there began to shout and call and 
 whistle, and in a few minutes there was such a hubbub 
 as only boys could make, with whistling between the 
 fingers leading the riot. Toby nudged Freddie again 
 with his elbow, and to Freddie's surprise began to 
 clap his hands and stamp his feet with the rest; and as 
 Freddie thought he ought to be polite, he clapped his 
 hands, too, though he did not know very well what It 
 was all about. 
 
1,6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Suddenly the men in the trench at the foot of the 
 painted wall struck up again, and that quieted the 
 other noise for a moment; but only for a moment; 
 someone whistled through his fingers, and in an in- 
 stant those fiddlers might as well have been sawing 
 away at their fiddles out at the Park, for all you could 
 hear them; and right in the midst of It all, while Fred- 
 die was trying to shout the word "Peanuts" into Toby's 
 ear, suddenly the lights v/ent out and you could have 
 heard a pin drop. 
 
 "Now then! now then!" whispered Mr. Toby, in 
 great excitement. "Now you'll see! Watch the cur- 
 tain! It's going up!" 
 
 From down there In that dark trench came the sound 
 of a soft twittery kind of music, and at the same time 
 the painted wall that Freddie had been looking at was 
 rising! going up! And it went on up and up out of 
 sight into the ceiling, and there behind It, in a dim 
 light, there behind it, mysterious and fearsome and 
 delicious, — Well, there behind it was Fairyland. Just 
 Fairyland. 
 
 I can't describe it to you. Freddie never forgot It. 
 If you haven't seen Hanlon's Superba, In some old 
 Gaunt Street Theatre or other, on a Saturday after- 
 noon, with the galleries wild with boys, you have not 
 lived. When Freddie tried to tell his mother and his 
 father about it that night, it was such a v/hlrling mass 
 of wonders and glories that they could not make 
 head nor tail of it. It is useless to speak of the Fairy 
 Queen In her glittering white, coming to the rescue 
 in the nick of time with her diamond sceptre, or of the 
 horrible demons, or the trouble and excitement they 
 made for everybody, or of the beautiful young lady 
 who— and such leapings and twistlngs and cllmblngs 
 and tumblings as no mere human beings with bones 
 in them could ever have performed — it is no use; it is 
 best not to try to describe it. But there was one part 
 
MR. HANLON MAKES AN IMPRESSION 37 
 
 which, although it may seem to you the most unlikely 
 thing in the world, really had a good deal to do with 
 Freddie afterwards. There was the same man whose 
 picture he had seen outside on the signboard; and he 
 could climb straight walls and leap through high win- 
 dows and tumble across floors in a way which passed 
 belief; but there was one thing he could not do; he 
 could not talk; he never spoke a word from beginning 
 to end. Once, after having escaped from a parcel of 
 wicked red imps, he sat down, tired out and starved 
 to death, before a table loaded with food, and he 
 commenced to make a hearty meal; but just as he was 
 about to sample each plate It disappeared, vanished, 
 completely out of sight, right under his nose. His dis- 
 tress was pitiable, and Freddie thought it cruel of 
 everybody to laugh, as everybody did. On his plate 
 were sausages, and he nearly got them; but just as he 
 thought he had them, they actually jumped off the table 
 and ran along the floor and up the wall; and the poor 
 man had to climb the wall after them, which he did like 
 a cat, and even then he never came up with them; he 
 was terribly disappointed; and to finish off his miseries, 
 at last a wicked creature with a sword came up behind 
 him, as he was leaning his head down on the table In 
 despair, and cut off his 'head before your very eyes; 
 really and truly cut it off; there was no doubt about 
 it; the head was on the table and the poor man was In 
 the chair; Freddie was terrified, and clutched Mr. 
 Toby's arm. But when the wicked murderer had gone 
 away, back popped the head onto the dead man's neck, 
 his eyes opened, he grinned from ear to ear, and there 
 he was on his feet, skipping and tumbling, as lively 
 as ever; and at that Freddie and all the others In the 
 house roared and shouted and clapped their hands. 
 
 "Is that Mr. Hanlon?" whispered Freddie Into Mr. 
 Toby's ear. 
 
38 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Reckon It is," said Toby, too excited himself to 
 pay much attention to Freddie. 
 
 But it could not last forever. Even the peanuts, 
 which Toby bought for Freddie between the first and 
 second acts, were all gone, and the curtain was down 
 for the last time, and the crowd crushed through the 
 doors, and Mr. Toby put on his white derby hat. 
 
 They were in the street, and the speechless Mr. 
 Hanlon was a thing of the past. Freddie did not 
 believe that he would ever see that dumb and loose- 
 headed man again; but In that he was mistaken, as you 
 shall see. 
 
 Toby left him at the corner near his father's house. 
 
 "What I say is," said Toby, "three cheers for our 
 growing-up party!" 
 
 "Yes," said Freddie, "and three cheers for Mr. 
 Hanlon!" 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 THE CHINAMAN^S HEAD 
 
 FOR a long time afterwards, Freddie dreamed at 
 night of a hunchbacked man whose head came 
 off and popped on again, and wicked red demons 
 who chased a poor man with a white face who tried 
 to cry for help and could not speak a word, and of a 
 Chinaman's head without a body, smoking a long clay 
 pipe. In the daytime, he thought a good deal about 
 the people he was now acquainted with: Mr. Toby 
 with his white derby hat. Aunt Amanda swallowing 
 pins, the sailorman from China, Mr. Punch and his 
 father, Mr. Hanlon with his head on the table, the 
 Churchwarden smoking his churchwarden pipe, and the 
 two old Codgers, one so sly and the other so beggarly; 
 but that which occupied his mind more than anything 
 else was the Chinaman's head on Mr. Toby's shelf. 
 
 Freddie was older now, and as time went on it 
 might be thought that he would have grown accustomed 
 to all these strange things; but he had not; far from 
 it; he thought about them more and more, and most 
 of all about the Chinaman's head and the magic to- 
 bacco. He really could not get that Chinaman's head 
 out of his mind. Here was magic just within reach of 
 your hand, and you were told that you mustn't touch 
 it. You might as well have Aladdin's lamp in your 
 bureau drawer, and be told to keep away from the 
 bureau; even parents ought to know better than to 
 expect such a thing. Anyway, what harm could just 
 one or two little whiffs do? You needn't smoke a whole 
 pipeful, if you didn't want to. However, Mr. Toby 
 
 39 
 
40 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 would not be pleased, and Freddie did not intend to do 
 anything to displease Mr. Toby. Still, it did seem a 
 pity, with such a chance right over your head — Oh, 
 well, he would think no more about it; he fixed his mind 
 on other things; he thought especially about a hymn 
 they sang nearly every Sunday in Sunday-school; it was 
 a great help ; he knew it by heart, and it went like this : 
 
 "Yield not to temptation, 
 For yielding is sin. 
 Each vict'ry will help you 
 Some other to win." 
 
 He resolved he would never think about the magic 
 tobacco again; he went to sleep saying over to him- 
 self, "Yield not to temptation," and dreamed all night 
 about the Chinaman's head, and thought about it all 
 the next day. 
 
 In order to get it out of his mind, he called on Aunt 
 Amanda. It was late in the afternoon; he sat on his 
 hassock and watched Aunt Amanda sewing. Mr. Toby 
 was in the shop, waiting on customers. Freddie watched 
 for a long time, and then said: 
 
 "What are you doing?" 
 
 "Basting," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "I thought that was what you did to a turkey," said 
 Freddie. 
 
 "So it Is," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "That isn't a turkey," said Freddie. 
 
 "No," said Aunt Amanda, "you baste a turkey with 
 gravy." 
 
 "That isn't gravy," said Freddie. 
 
 "It's different," said Aunt Amanda. "You see, I 
 have to sew this up with needle and thread, and " 
 
 "You sew up a turkey with needle and thread, too," 
 said Freddie. 
 
THE CHINAMAN'S HEAD 41 
 
 "But that's different," said Aunt Amanda. "You 
 couldn't baste a turkey with needle and thread, and 
 you couldn't baste dress-goods with gravy '' 
 
 "Why not?" said Freddie. 
 
 "Well," said Aunt Amanda, "well, you see, they 
 don't do it that way; it's different; it ain't the same 
 thing at all ; it's like this ; when you baste a turkey " 
 
 "Have you ever 'had any children?" said Freddie. 
 
 Aunt Amanda put her hand to her heart suddenly, 
 as if she had received a shot there, and caught her 
 breath; then she looked out of the window, and then, 
 round at the wax flowers on the table, and then at the 
 door, and she really seemed tO' be thinking of running 
 away. But she was too lame to do that, and she at 
 last clasped her fingers together tight in her lap, and 
 looked hard at Freddie. He was gazing at her calmly, 
 waiting for information. 
 
 "No," said Aunt Amanda, "I have never — had — 
 any — children." 
 
 "Why not?" said Freddie. 
 
 "I have — never — been married," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 Freddie thought about this for a moment. 
 
 "Didn't anybody ever want you?" said he. 
 
 "No," said she, "nobody — ever — wanted — me." 
 
 Freddie was puzzled. 
 
 "But you're nice," said he. 
 
 "That ain't enough," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "What else do you have to be?" 
 
 ""You have to be pretty." 
 
 "Weren't you ever pretty?" 
 
 "I thought — so — once, but — ^but — I must have been 
 mistaken. I guess I never was." 
 
 Freddie thought it over, and announced his decision 
 seriously. 
 
 "/ would want you, anyway." 
 
42 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Aunt Amanda stretched out a trembling hand to 
 him and ran her fingers throug'h his hair; then she 
 threw both her arms around him and pressed him 
 against her knee. He was much annoyed. He was 
 afraid she might be going to kiss him; but she did not; 
 instead, she pulled out her handkerchief and blew her 
 nose. 
 
 "How many children were there that you didn't 
 have?" said Freddie, to change the subject. Aunt 
 Amanda did not understand this at first, but she finally 
 saw what he meant. What did he mean? you may say. 
 What he meant was — well, it is perfectly clear, but it 
 Is hard to explain. Anyway, Aunt Amanda under- 
 stood him. "Three," said she. "Bobby was the oldest, 
 and Jenny next, and James was the littlest one." 
 
 "Did they all go to school?" 
 
 "Oh dear no. Only Bobby. And once he played 
 hookey, and was gone all day, and didn't come home 
 until after dark, all muddy. I was terribly worried. 
 He was a very mischievous boy, but he was his — 
 mother's — own " 
 
 "Did he play marbles for keeps?" 
 
 "Yes, but he went to Sunday-school just as regular, 
 and liked it, and " 
 
 "He liked it?" 
 
 "Yes, of course, and he always took good care of 
 
 Jenny . She had little yellow curls. They went 
 
 to Sunday-school together hand in hand, and he didn't 
 even mind her carrying her dolly with her; she wouldn't 
 go without it. He was so careful of her at street- 
 crossings. She loved her dollies. She used to pretend 
 that James was one of them." 
 
 "Did James like that?" 
 
 "Not very well, but he put up with it for quite a 
 few minutes at a time. He couldn't be still very long. 
 
THE CHINAMAN'S HEAD 43 
 
 But he was pretty lonesome when Jenny had the 
 measles." 
 
 "I've had the chicken-pox. Did Bobby know how 
 to mind his P's and Q's?" 
 
 "He didn't mind anybody very well. Once I had a 
 note from his teacher, and it said " 
 
 But Freddie never learned what sin Bobby had com- 
 mitted in school; for at that moment the shop door 
 opened, and Mr. Toby thrust in his head and said: 
 
 "Just got to get around to the barber-shop right 
 away this minute; can't put it off no longer. Won't 
 be gone twenty minutes. Freddie !" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, standing up. 
 
 "Do you think you could look after the shop for 
 twenty minutes, while I'm gone?" 
 
 Now Freddie did not know it, but this was in fact 
 the most important question that had ever been put 
 to him in his life. Everything depended on his answer; 
 if he said no, we might as well stop this story right 
 here; if he said yes 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "All right. If anybody comes in, just tell 'em to 
 wait." 
 
 Freddie left Aunt Amanda, sitting very still, and 
 gazing out of the window, with her hands folded in 
 her lap, and followed Mr. Toby into the shop. 
 
 "All right, sonny," said Mr. Toby, "make yourself 
 comfortable. I'll be back in a jiffy. If anybody comes 
 in, you tell 'em to wait." And with that he went out 
 of the door and up the street. Freddie was left alone 
 in the shop. 
 
 Everything was very quiet now, for It was beginning 
 to be twilight, and all the people seemed to be indoors. 
 He knew he ought to be going home, but he had prom- 
 ised to mind the shop, and it would never do to leave 
 before Mr. Toby came back. The street door and the 
 door to Aunt Amanda's room were both closed. He 
 
44 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 sat down on the chair by the front window and looked 
 out across the bull-dog's head. He thought of Bobby 
 and his little sister in Sunday-school, and that led him 
 to think of the hymn that did him so much good : 
 
 "Yield not to temptation, 
 For yielding is sin." 
 
 He sang that tune to himself for a while, and he 
 found himself singing other tunes, and finally one which 
 began : 
 
 "There was an old codger, and he had a 
 wooden leg, 
 And he never bought tobacco when to- 
 bacco he could beg." 
 
 Tobacco ! There was a world of tobacco on those 
 shelves. Smoking tobacco, and churchwarden pipes. 
 He strolled around behind the counter, and let down 
 the back of the show-case. There were the church- 
 warden pipes; he selected one and took it out. It 
 tasted cold and clammy when he put it in his mouth, 
 and he wondered what it would taste like with tobacco 
 in it. He brought the little ladder and got up on it, 
 facing the shelves, and to his surprise he found himself 
 looking directly into the slanting eyes of the porcelain 
 Chinaman's head. He stood there gazing thought- 
 fully into those eyes, and singing to himself the verse 
 , which was always such a help to him: 
 
 "Yield not to temptation, 
 For yielding is sin, 
 Each vict'ry will help you 
 Some other to win." 
 
 It was growing a little darker now, and he could 
 not examine the Chinaman's head very well without 
 bringing it closer. He took the head in his hands, 
 lifted it from the shelf, got down off the ladder, and 
 sat down on the floor with his back against the counter; 
 
THE CHINAMAN'S HEAD 45 
 
 and while he was doing this he hummed to himself the 
 next part of his tune : 
 
 "Fight manfully onward, 
 Dark passions subdue." 
 
 He put the head on his knees, and took off the China- 
 man's little round cap, which proved to be in fact a 
 lid. He put his hand inside and drew out a good 
 fistful of absolutely black tobacco, fine and powdery 
 like coal-dust; he held it to his nose, and it smelt very 
 sweet, in fact much like brown sugar. He wondered 
 if it would taste like brown sugar through the pipe- 
 stem; and humming quietly to himself, "Each vict'ry 
 will help you," he poured the tobacco into the bowl of 
 the pipe. He was disappointed, on sucking in through 
 the pipe-stem, to find that there was no brown-sugar 
 taste at all. Of course, the only way to give tobacco 
 any taste was to light it; he reached up and got a match 
 off the counter behind him, and sitting down again 
 struck the match on the floor. It made a very pretty 
 glow in the twilight, and he watched it as it burned 
 away in his fingers; it would be burnt out in another 
 second, so, humming to himself those ever-helpful 
 words, "Yield not to temptation," he put the pipe in 
 his mouth and touched the lighted match to the tobacco. 
 
 It is painful to have to tell these things, but it can't 
 be helped; for the consequences were so strange, and 
 so important to Freddie and his friends, that 
 
 Anyway, he lit the pipe and drew in a long breath 
 through the stem. He nearly choked to death. Smoke 
 got into his nose and his eyes and his throat, and he 
 coughed and coughed; but he remembered the words, 
 "Fight manfully onward," and he determined that he 
 would not give up so soon. He stopped coughing and 
 pulled again at the pipe; this time he did not swallow 
 the smoke, but blew it out of his mouth as he had seen it 
 done a thousand times. He gave another pull, and 
 
46 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 blew the smoke out again; It did indeed taste like 
 brown sugar; it was extremely pleasant; he puffed 
 again and again. He was astonished that he could 
 have produced so much smoke in a few whiffs; there 
 was quite a cloud over his head. He gave another 
 puff, and when he blew out the smoke the white cloud 
 above him was so thick that he could not see through ^ 
 it. It began to settle down on him. He put the China- 
 man's head on the floor, and looked up into this cloud. 
 
 It was growing thicker and thicker, and it was be- 
 ginning to churn about as if in a whirlwind; it turned 
 all sorts of colours, mostly yellow and green, and parts 
 of it looked like barber's poles revolving at a terrific 
 speed. He became dizzy as he gazed at it; his head 
 began to swim; the cloud was coming down closer and 
 closer upon him, and whirling about more and more 
 wildly; he crouched down lower, and became dizzier 
 and dizzier. The counter and the shelves began to go 
 round and round, so that he had to put his hand on the 
 floor to steady himself; in another moment the shop 
 disappeared altogether, and there was nothing under 
 him but a little square of floor, and nothing over him 
 but the wild, churning cloud, now sparkling with jets of 
 fire. He felt himself falling, falling, and as he came 
 to the bottom with a crash, he heard the shop door 
 open and close, and found himself sitting on the floor 
 with his back to the counter as before, with no smoke 
 anywhere to be seen; and he was aware that a hoarse 
 voice was speaking on the other side of the counter, 
 and it was saying these words, very loud and brisk: 
 
 "Avast, there! Belay that piping! All snug, sir, 
 hatches battened down, makin' way under skysails and 
 royals, hands piped to quarters, and here's your humble 
 servant ready for orders! Shiver my timbers, where's 
 the skipper? Piped me up with a 'baccy pipe, he did, 
 and where's he gone? Skipper ahoy! Come for 
 
THE CHINAMAN'^S HEAD 47 
 
 orders, I be, and ever yours to command, Lemuel 
 MIzzen! That's me!" . 
 
 Freddie put the pipe down on the floor, rose to his 
 feet, and looked over the counter. 
 
 Leaning on his elbow on the other side of the counter 
 was a Sailorman, with a wide blue collar open at the 
 throat, a flat blue cap with a black ribbon on the back 
 of his head, and a green patch over his right eye. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 LEMUEL MIZZEN, A.B. 
 
 REDDIE looked at the Sailorman, and the Sailor- 
 man straightened up and touched his cap. His 
 face was brown as weathered oak, and creased 
 like bark; his one eye was black and glittering; the 
 hand which he raised to his cap was of the shape and 
 nearly the size of a ham; and the chest and throat 
 which emerged from his wide-open shirt-collar was as 
 brown as his face, and big with muscles. There was 
 a delicious odour of tar about him; you positively could 
 not look at him without hearing wind whistling through 
 ropes. He hitched up his trousers with his other hand 
 and said: 
 
 "Ay, ay, skipper! Here I be as big as life, all ready 
 fer orders!'* 
 
 As Freddie gazed at him, the Little Boy slowly col- 
 lected his wits, and a light began to dawn upon him. 
 
 "Have you been to China?" said he. 
 
 "Right-o !" cried the Sailorman. "To China I have 
 
 been " In a queer sing-song, as If he might have 
 
 been marching In time to it round a capstan, hauling 
 in an anchor: "To China I have been, and a many 
 ports I've seen, near and far; I can sail before the 
 mast or behind It just as fast, I'm a tar, I'm a tar, 
 I'm a tar!" 
 
 Freddie continued to stare at him with Increasing 
 astonishment. 
 
 "Are you a sailor, sir?" said 'he. 
 
 48 
 
LEMUEL MIZZEN, A.B. 49 
 
 "Wot, me? I'm Lemuel Mizzen, A.B., that's me, 
 and I sail the deep blue sea from Maine tO' Afrikee, 
 and round again on an even keel to Cochin China for 
 cochineal, and back to Chili for Chili sauce, and home 
 again to Banbury Cross — that's me ! Lemuel Mizzen, 
 able seaman ! Fed on hard tack or soft tack, or a star- 
 board tack or a port tack, it's all the same to me ! Now 
 then, skipper, you piped me up, wot's the orders?" 
 
 "Please, sir," said Freddie, "would you mind telling 
 me what it is you would like to have?" 
 
 "M^f Douse my binnacle light, wot I want is a 
 chew o' terbacker; but the question before the chart- 
 house is, wot do you want, skipper?" 
 "I don't want anything," said Freddie. 
 "Wot? You piped me up, didn't you? Piped me 
 up with a pipe?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "Sorry to entertain a different opinion from the 
 skipper ! Didn't you smoke the Chinaman's 'baccy, 
 in a pipe?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, hanging his head. 
 "Then you did pipe me up with a pipe, and I hope 
 I knows better than to come aft without bein' piped. 
 Didn't you know Pve got to come when you smoke the 
 pipe with the Chinaman's 'baccy in it?" 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 The Able Seaman fixed his black eye on Freddie In 
 amazement. 
 
 "Well, bust my locker if this ain't the — Beggin' your 
 pardon, skipper, and no offense meant! Called me off 
 from the China Sea, and don't want me after all! 
 Didn't go fer to do it, not him ! And me off in the 
 China Sea amongst the Boxers, a-v'yaging hither and 
 thither to pick up a cargo o' boxes to box compasses 
 with! Ye've brought me a fair long journey fer 
 nothin', skipper!" 
 
 "Pm very sorry, sir/' said Freddie, "I didn't know 
 
50 
 
 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 'I'm Lemuel Mizzen, A.B., that's me!" 
 
LEMUEL MIZZEN, A.B. 51 
 
 you had to come when the Chinaman's tobacco was 
 smoked. Are you the one that brought that tobacco 
 here?" 
 
 "Ay, ay! That's me! Lemuel Mizzen, A.B.I 
 And a fine long trip from the China Sea, to come to a 
 lad in Amerikee when I hears in my ears the skipper's 
 call, and all fer nothin' at all, at all ! Ain't you got 
 nothin' to offer in extenuation?" 
 
 Freddie did not know what "extenuation" meant, 
 but he could see by the Sailorman's face that that gen- 
 tleman was a good deal put out. He remembered that 
 Mr. Mizzen wanted a chew of tobacco. 
 
 "Would a little tobacco make you feel better?" 
 said he. 
 
 "Now you've got yer hand on the right rope!" said 
 the Able Seaman, his face brightening. "I don't smoke. 
 I chew. If you're goin' to offer a bit of a chew, why 
 then, says I, I don't care if I do." 
 
 Freddie took a long plug of chewing tobacco from 
 the shelf behind him. He knew that Mr. Toby would 
 not mind making a little gift to the sailorman after 
 his long journey. He put the plug under the cutter 
 on the counter, and was about to press down the 
 handle, to cut off a portion, when the Able Seaman 
 hitched up his trousers and said: 
 
 "Belay there, skipper ! Put the whole cargo aboard I 
 This here craft needs ballast; hoist her over the side!" 
 And he reached out his hand for the whole plug of 
 tobacco and took it from Freddie, and gnawed off a 
 corner with his teeth. 
 
 "Ah!" said he, his right cheek bulging out. "Too 
 much ballast to starboard." And he gnawed off an- 
 other corner, so that his left cheek bulged out like his 
 right. 
 
 "All snug!" said he. "I'll just pay fer my cargo 
 before I set sail, with a bit of a draft on the owners, 
 in a manner of speakin'. Here y'are, sir. Stow that 
 
52 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 bit o' paper in yer sea-chest, and it'll come in handy 
 one o' these days. Pay as you go, says I." 
 
 He placed in Freddie's hand a folded sheet of soiled 
 paper. It was greasy with handling, and was evidently 
 very old; it was folded small and tight, and was be- 
 ginning to break with age at the creases. On the out- 
 side, it was blank; but there might have been writing 
 inside. 
 
 "Got it in the Caribbean off a runaway sailor, fer a 
 set of false whiskers and a tattoo needle. Will it do 
 to pay fer the cargo with?" 
 
 "Yes, sir; thank you," said Freddie, holding the 
 paper in his hand without unfolding it. 
 
 "Then all I got to say is, before I weighs anchor, — 
 take good keer o' that there bit o' paper. Aloft and 
 alow, don't ye never let go; round the yard take a bight 
 and hold on to it tight; let the harricane blow till yer 
 fingers is blue, but wotever you do, don't ye never let 
 go. And skipper, mmd wot I'm a-tellin' you; if you 
 ever needs Lemuel Mizzen, A.B., fer to give him his 
 orders, all you got to do is to smoke a couple o' whiffs 
 of the Chinaman's 'baccy, and Lemuel Mizzen, A.B., 
 he'll be on deck before the smoke's cleared away. 
 That's clear?" .... 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, with eyes wide open, 
 
 "And now as I see there's no orders to give, I'm off 
 to my tight little bark called The Sieve, and when I'm 
 aboard I'll close all the shutters, and lock up the parrot 
 that sneezes and stutters, and wake all the skippers, 
 and put on my slippers, and get into bed while the 
 mates overhead are swabbing the decks and heaving 
 the lead and baling the bilge-water up with their dip- 
 pers ; and when they have gotten the vessel to going, 
 and settled all down to their knitting and sewing, and 
 the twenty-third mate, who is always so late, has 
 learned what is meant by a third and last warning, I'll 
 turn up the gas, take a look at tha glass, and read me 
 
LEMUEL MIZZEN, A.B. 53 
 
 the Life of Old Chew until morning! And so, sir," 
 
 continued Mr. Mizzen, walking towards the street 
 door, "I must give you a view of my little stern-light, 
 and bid you, dear sir, a very good night." 
 
 So saying, he turned squarely towards Freddie, with 
 one hand on the door-knob, and with the other hand 
 touched his cap respectfully. Freddie saw that his 
 trousers were very wide at the ankles and very tight 
 at the hips, and that he rolled a little when he walked. 
 Having touched his cap respectfully, he opened the 
 door and went out, and disappeared in the darkness 
 outside. 
 
 Freddie stood looking, after him with his mouth 
 wide open. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK COME TOGETHER 
 
 IT was some minutes before Freddie recovered from 
 his astonishment. Certainly this was a strange 
 Sailorman. And he had come all the way from the 
 China Sea at a puff of the Chinaman's tobacco ! Cer- 
 tainly magic tobacco, that! But it was a pity that Mr. 
 Mizzen had been called away from the China Sea, all 
 for nothing, while he was so busy gathering boxes to 
 box compasses with! No wonder he had felt put out 
 about it. And it must have been a queer sort of ship, 
 with its shutters, and all those skippers and mates — 
 did they really like to knit and sew after they had got 
 the ship to going? It would be a wonderful thing to 
 sail in a ship like that; he wished he had thought to 
 ask Mr. Mizzen more about it. He must tell Aunt 
 Amanda at once. 
 
 He ran to the back door and burst Into the back 
 room, crying out "Aunt Amanda !" 
 
 Aunt Amanda was sound asleep in her chair, with her 
 head back and her mouth open; the gas was burning 
 brightly overhead, and the clock was ticking away dis- 
 tinctly on the mantel-piece. 
 
 "Aunt Amanda !" cried Freddie. 
 
 She awoke with a jump, blinked her eyes, and said: 
 
 "Hah! Where's the — what's the — who said — 
 Where's Toby? What's the matter?" 
 
 "It's me, Aunt Amanda," cried Freddie, breath- 
 lessly, "and the Sailorman's just been here and gone, 
 and I called him with the pipe, and I can call him when- 
 
 54 
 
THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK 55 
 
 ever I want him, and he gave me a piece of paper, and 
 he talks like a singing-book, and there's a parrot that 
 stutters, and they have to bale out the water with dip- 
 pers because the ship's named The Sieve, and we 
 mustn't lose the paper because the runaway sailor wore 
 false whiskers, and he feeds on tacks instead of pins, 
 and we have to hold on tight to the paper, and one of 
 the men on the ship is always late, and we mustn't lose 
 
 the paper, because " 
 
 "Stop ! Stop !" said Aunt Amanda. "What on earth 
 is the child talking about? What's all this about a 
 Sailorman and a paper?" 
 
 "He's the one that brought the Chinaman's tobacco 
 from China, and he gave me a piece of paper, and 
 
 here it is, and we mustn't lose it, because " 
 
 "One minute, Freddie ! Now you just stand right 
 there, perfectly still, and tell me about it slowly. Now, 
 then; what about this Sailorman? Slow, slow." 
 
 It was a long time before Freddie made her under- 
 stand exactly what had happened, but at last she did 
 understand, from beginning to end. She was grieved 
 and horrified that he had smoked the tobacco, but 
 there was no help for it now, and she was too much 
 excited by his tale to scold him very long. 
 
 "What's the paper he give you?" said she, when he 
 had told her everything. 
 
 Freddie put the paper in her hand, and she unfolded 
 it carefully. 
 
 "Why," said she, "it's a map!" 
 "What kind of a map?" said Freddie. 
 "It's a map of an Island," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "Where's Toby? I wish he would come home. It 
 looks like an Island, and there's writing here on it. 
 Looks like some sailorman might have drawn it, 
 maybe; it's certainly pretty old. I wish Toby would 
 come." 
 
S6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "What's the writing on it, Aunt Amanda?" said 
 Freddie. 
 
 "Well, here at the top it says, 'Correction Island,' 
 and under that it says, 'Spanish Main.' Bless me; 
 that's where the pirates used to " 
 
 "Pirates?" said Freddie, his eyes sparkling. 
 
 "Yes, pirates, of course. You've heard of the 
 Spanish Main, haven't you?" 
 
 "Yes'm. It's a long way off. You have to go there 
 In a ship. Plave you ever been there?" 
 
 "Me? Me been to the Spanish Main? Mercy 
 sakes, no, child ! What would I be doing on the Span- 
 ish Main? I ain't been outside of this town since I 
 was born." 
 
 "Wouldn't I like to go there! Pirates!" said 
 Freddie. "Ohjiminy!" 
 
 "You mustn't use such dreadful language," said 
 Aunt Amanda. "I wonder where Toby is? Just look 
 at that clock ! Why, bless me, it's twenty-seven min- 
 utes to seven." 
 
 Freddie looked, and saw that the hands of the clock 
 were together, one on top of the other. It was the 
 hour for Mr. Punch's father to call Mr. Punch from 
 the church-tower. 
 
 "Toby's got to talkin' with that barber again, as 
 sure as you live; when they once begin, they never 
 know when to leave off. I wish he'd " 
 
 As she said this, the door opened, and in walked 
 Mr. Toby himself. 
 
 "Sorry I'm so late," he cried, "but the barber got 
 to talking about — What, young feller, are you still 
 here?" He turned and called through the open door to 
 someone behind him in the shop. "Come in! Make 
 you acquainted with my aunt and a young chap here — 
 Don't be bashful, come right in! Nobody's goin' to 
 eat you !" 
 
 Mr. Toby held the door wide open, and made way 
 
THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK 57 
 
 for a little gentleman who now advanced Into the room. 
 He was a hunchbacked man, of the same height as 
 Toby, and he was holding out in one hand a bunch of 
 black cigars; he was bareheaded and baldheaded; he 
 had high cheek-bones and a big chin and a hooked 
 nose; he wore blue knee breeches and black stockings 
 and buckled shoes, and his coat was cut away In front 
 over his stomach and had two tails behind, down to 
 his knees. His joints creaked a little as he walked. 
 He made a stiff bow to Aunt Amanda, and another 
 one to Freddie. 
 
 "Come In, Mr. Punch," said Toby, "you don't need 
 to hold them cigars any longer. Give 'em to me." 
 And he took them from Mr. Punch and laid them on 
 the table. He then went to Mr. Punch and linked his 
 arm in his, and the two hunchbacks stepped forward 
 together and stood before Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Allow me to present my friend Mr. Punch," said 
 Toby. "Just as I was coming In, I heard a voice sing 
 out 'Punch!' from the church-tower, and Mr. Punch 
 stepped down from his perch, and I Invited him tO' 
 come In, and here we are." 
 
 "Good hevening, marm," said Mr. Punch. His 
 voice sounded harsh, as If his throat were rusty. "Good 
 hevening, young sir. Hit's wery pleasant withln-doors, 
 wery pleasant indeed; HI carn't s'y It's so blooming 
 "agreeable hout there on my box, hall d'y and hall 
 night; the gaslight Is wery welcome to me poor heyes, 
 1 assure you, marm. Hi trust I see you well, marm." 
 
 "Mercy on us !" said Aunt Amanda, who had been 
 speechless with astonishment. "Freddie, It's Mr. 
 Punch himself, bless me If It ain't!" 
 
 Freddie edged a little closer to Aunt Amanda, for 
 he was afraid Mr. Punch might snatch him up and 
 carry him off to his father In the tower. Mr. Punch 
 noticed this. 
 
 " 'Ave no fear, me good sir," said Mr. Punch, his 
 
58 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 wide mouth expanding in a smile, almost to his ears. 
 "Hi sharn't see me father this night, hif me kind friends 
 will permit me to enjoy their society for a brief period, 
 together with their charmin' gaslight, which it is wery 
 dim hall night in the street and quite hunsatisfactory, 
 accordingly most pleased to haccept me friend Toby's 
 kind 'ospitality, Hi assure you. One grows quite 
 cramped in one's legs and one's harms when one 'as 
 to remain in one position on one's box hall night, unless 
 one's father should tyke hit into 'is 'ead" to call one 
 hup for a bit of a lark, and one can never be sure of 
 one's father's 'aving it in 'is 'ead to call one hup, to s'y 
 nothing of one's fingers coming stiffer and stiffer with 
 one's parcel of cigars 'eld out in one's 'and, and no 'at 
 on one's 'ead, and no 'air on one's 'ead to defend one 
 against the hevening hair, with one's nose dropping 
 hicicles in winter, so that one never knows when one 
 will lose one's nose off of one's fyce " 
 
 "Excuse me," said Aunt Amanda. It was evident 
 that Mr. Punch was a talkative person. "Are you an 
 Englishman?" 
 
 "Ho lor' miss, indeed !" said Mr. Punch. "A Heng- 
 lishman as ever was, Hi assure you. But I 'opes I give 
 myself no hairs." 
 
 Freddie gave up trying to understand the difference 
 between air and hair; it was plain enough that the 
 baldheaded man had never given himself any hair, so 
 r'- couldn't be that. Anyway, this was an Englishman, 
 c-nd Freddie was glad that he would now probably 
 have a chance to hear English spoken, which he had 
 never heard before. 
 
 "Toby," said Aunt Amanda, "Freddie has seen the 
 Sailorman from China, and he has a map. I'll tell 
 you about it." 
 
 Thereupon she related the story of Mr, Lemuel 
 Mizzen, as she had got it from Freddie. Mr. Toby 
 and Mr. Punch were both tremendously impressed. 
 
THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK 59 
 
 ''It's too bad," said Mr. Toby, "this young feller 
 here had to go and smoke the Chinaman's tobacco 
 after I told him not to; it's too bad, that's what it Is, 
 What did you mean by It, sir?" 
 
 "Hit's a wery naughty hactlon Indeed," said Mr. 
 Punch. "Wery reprehensible. Wery. Hi carn't s'y 
 as I ever 'eard of a thing so hextremely reprehensible. 
 Now when Hi was a lad " 
 
 "You don't say so !" said Mr. Toby. "Well, I don't 
 see anything so very bad about it. I'd a' done It myself 
 if I'd been In 'his place. What do you mean by saying 
 that my Freddie's reprehensible? I won't have nobody 
 callln' him names, I won't, and what's more " 
 
 "No offense, Toby! No offense!" cried Mr. Punch, 
 "Sorry, Hi assure you. Wery reprehensible of me to 
 s'y such a thing. Wery. Pray be calm; be calm." 
 
 "Well, then," grumbled Toby, "don't you go and 
 say nothing about Freddie, because — Anyway, let's 
 have a look at the map." 
 
 At that moment there came a timid knock upon the 
 door. 
 
 "Who next?" said Toby. "Come in!" 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CELLULOID CUFFS AND A SILK HAT 
 
 THE door opened, and there entered a poor- 
 looking elderly man, bowing and scraping as 
 he came, and saluting the company with an old 
 rusty dented tall hat which he carried in his hand. The 
 most striking thing about him was that he had a 
 wooden leg. His hair was grey and thin, and his face 
 was not very clean; there were signs of tobacco at the 
 corners of his mouth. His clothes were frayed and 
 patched, and there was a good deal of grease on his 
 vest; he wore a celluloid collar without any necktie, 
 and round celluloid cuffs; his coat-sleeves were much 
 too short, and his cuffs hung out certainly three inches. 
 Strange to say, his collar and cuffs were spotlessly 
 clean, and presented quite a contrast to his very untidy 
 face and clothes; but then, celluloid is easy to clean; 
 much less trouble than washing the face. As he 
 stumped into the room, he kept bowing humbly from 
 one to another, and bobbing his old hat up and down 
 In his hand. 
 
 "Ahem!" he said, making another bow. "I was 
 just going by, and I thought I would drop in to — er — 
 ahem! — I hope I am not in the way?" 
 
 "Oh, come in," said Toby, not very graciously. "As 
 long as you are here, you might as well stay. This 
 is Mr. Punch, and this is Freddie." 
 
 The elderly man bowed to Freddie, and v/ent up 
 to Mr. Punch and shook him cordially by the hand. 
 
 60 
 
CELLULOID CUFFS AND A SILK HAT 6i 
 
 He put his mouth quite close to Mr. Punch's ear, and 
 lowered his voice, and said: 
 
 "Ahem! I'm delighted to know you, sir. I trust 
 you are well. I have seen you often, but not to speak 
 to. Ahem!" Lie lowered his voice again, and spoke 
 very confidentially into Mr. Punch's ear. "The fact 
 is, sir, that as I was going by, I suddenly found that I 
 had left my tobacco pouch at home; most unfortunate; 
 and I came in with the hope that perhaps — er — ahem ! 
 Very seldom forget my tobacco; very seldom indeed; 
 perfectly lost without it; do you — er, ahem! — do you 
 happen to have such a thing about you as a — er — 
 ahem! — a small portion of — er — smoking tobacco? I 
 should be very much obliged!" 
 
 "Sorry," said Mr. Punch, stiffly, backing away. "Hi 
 never use tobacco in any way, shape or form." 
 
 The elderly man looked much disappointed, and 
 sighed. He turned to Toby, and bowed and smiled 
 hopefully. 
 
 "Perhaps Mr. Littleback — " he began. 
 
 "Not on your ^Ife," said Toby. "You don't get no 
 tobacco out of me, and that's flat." 
 
 The elderly man sighed again, and looked steadily 
 at Freddie; but he evidently thought there was no hope 
 in that quarter, and he said nothing. 
 
 Freddie now realized who the elderly gentleman was. 
 He had a wooden leg, and he never bought tobacco 
 when tobacco he could beg — It was the Old Codger 
 whom Mr. Toby had now and then sung a song about; 
 one of his two friends, the one who was always beg- 
 ging tobacco, and never had any of his own. Freddie 
 looked at him, and felt rather sorry for him. 
 
 "Ahem!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg. "Very sorry to intrude. Miss Amanda. I hope 
 I'm not In the way. It's very mild weather we're 
 having." 
 
62 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Now, then," said Toby, briskly, "let's look at this 
 map." 
 
 As he said this, another knock was heard at the door; 
 a firm and confident knock this time. 
 
 "Confound it!" said Toby. "Who next? Come 
 in!" 
 
 The door opened, and another elderly man stepped 
 in; a tall slim man, with very white hair and a long 
 narrow face; he carried a tall shiny black silk hat in 
 his hand; he wore a black suit, all of broadcloth, and 
 his coat hung to his knees and was buttoned to the 
 top; his cuffs and collar and shirt were of beautiful 
 white linen with a gloss, and his tie was a little white 
 Imen bow. He came forward with an air of warm 
 benevolence. 
 
 "My dear, dear friends !" he said, and stretched out 
 both hands towards the company, as if to clasp them 
 all to his heart. "What a beautiful, beautiful scene ! 
 So homelike, so cosy, so sociable, so — so — What can 
 be so beautiful as the gathering together of friends 
 about the family hearth! So beautiful!" There was 
 a Latrobe stove in the room, but no hearth; how- 
 ever, that made no difference; he went, with his hands 
 outstretched, to Aunt Amanda, and pressed one of hers 
 in both of his. 
 
 The Old Codger with the Wooden Leg Immediately 
 sidled up to him, and while he was still pressing i\unt 
 Amanda's hand, said, in a confidential tone: 
 
 "Ahem! Tm delighted to see you again. I trust 
 you are well. The fact Is, I find that I have — er — left 
 my tobacco pouch at home, — most unfortunate; very 
 seldom forget it; completely lost without it; I was 
 wondering — er — ahem ! — if you happened to have such 
 a thing about you as a — " 
 
 "No!" said the other old man, changing at once 
 from beaming benevolence to stern severity. "I'll be 
 
CELLULOID CUFFS AND A SILK HAT 63 
 
 hanged if I do!" And he released Aunt Amanda's 
 hand, and turned his back on the Old Codger with 
 the Wooden Leg. 
 
 "Now," said Toby, "let's look at the map. This 
 here is Mr. Punch, and this is Freddie." 
 
 The newcomer took Mr. Punch's hand in both of his 
 and squeezed it softly; he then took Freddie's hand in 
 both of his and pressed it tenderly. Freddie knew 
 him. He was the "other Old Codger, as sly as a 
 fox, who always had tobacco in his old tobacco-box." 
 Freddie could hardly believe that that white-haired 
 old gentleman could be as sly as a fox. 
 
 "My dear, dear friends!" said the Sly Old Fox. 
 "What is so beautiful as the love of friends?" He 
 stopped to glare at the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg, who looked away nervously. "The love of 
 friends ! Gathered together around the family hearth ! 
 How beautiful ! It touches me, my friends, it touches 
 me " 
 
 "That's all right about that," said Toby. "For 
 heaven's sake, let's look at the map !" 
 
 Aunt Amanda spread out the map on the table be- 
 side her, and the others gathered round. 
 
 "It's an island!" cried Toby. 
 
 "On the Spanish Main," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "The Spanish Main!" said the Sly Old Fox. "A 
 beautiful country! Full of palms, — and grape-nuts, 
 — What you might call a real work of nature ! Full 
 of parrots, and monkeys, and lagoons, and other wild 
 creatures; a work of nature, my dear friends, a real 
 work of nature." 
 
 "And pirates," said Freddie, earnestly. 
 
 "I said parrots," said the Sly Old Fox. 
 
 "/ said pirates," said Freddie. 
 
 "Just what I said," said the Sly Old Fox. "That 
 
64 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 live In trees, my little friend, In trees; and have red 
 and blue feathers, and " 
 
 "Pirates don't have feathers," said Freddie. 
 
 "Dear, dear!" said the Sly Old Fox. "How can 
 you say such a thing? How can you ?" 
 
 "Did you ever see a pirate In a tree?" 
 
 "In cages, my dear little friend! Hundreds of 
 them!" 
 
 "That's enough!" said Mr. Toby. "Quit wrangling 
 for a minute, will you? What about this here map? I 
 tell you what, though. Pd like the Churchwarden to 
 see this map. Freddie, will you run down the street 
 and get the Churchwarden?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, moving towards the door. 
 
 "And tell him to bring along his Odour of Sanctity 
 with him. He always carries a bottle of it In his 
 pocket, and we may need It. Don't forget it." 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 "Hold on a minute," said Mr. Toby, snatching up 
 his hat. "Pll go for him myself. I can do It quicker." 
 And in a moment he was out of the door. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE ODOUR OF SANCTITY 
 
 WHILE Toby was gone, Aunt Amanda explained 
 to the two old men about the Sailorman from 
 China, and about his gift of the map which 
 was lying on the table. They were just at the end of 
 their discussion when Toby returned, bringing with 
 him the Churchwarden, puffing and blowing with the 
 unusual exertion of walking, and without his pipe. 
 Toby introduced him to Mr. Punch and the two old 
 Codgers, and drew him up to the table and showed him 
 the map, explaining at the same time how it came 
 there. 
 
 The Churchwarden examined the map carefully, 
 while the others all looked at 'him. He finally put 
 down the map, settled himself in a chair, folded his 
 hands across his fat stomach, blew out his cheeks, and 
 said: 
 
 "My opinion is, that what we ought to do is to — 
 I've considered the matter carefully, from all sides, and 
 I think we ought to — Of course you may not agree 
 with me, but I think the best thing to do would be 
 to — Unless, of course, some of you may think of 
 something better, but if you don't, then I can't say as 
 there's anything better to do than to " 
 
 At this moment there came a sound from the street 
 outside which made everyone but Aunt Amanda jump 
 to his feet. It was the sound of running feet, mixed 
 with strange cries, not very loud, but somehow blood- 
 curdling. It was evident that someone was in trouble. 
 
66 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Freddie and the five men rushed from the room and 
 through the shop and into the street. 
 
 The street was very dark, except for a gas-lamp 
 at the opposite corner. A white figure was running 
 down the pavement towards the shop-door, with 
 frantic speed; and behind him, evidently chasing him, 
 came a crowd of little dark creatures, hard to make 
 out in the dim light. It was these creatures who were 
 making the little blood-curdling cries. In a moment 
 they had come so near that the party about the shop- 
 door could see what they were. In front, running 
 desperately with leaps and bounds, and panting for 
 breath, came a tall slim man all in tight-fitting white 
 clothes, with a dead white face and a whitei hairless 
 head; and after him, tumbling on pell-mell, was a 
 perfect riot of little red Imps, with little horns on their 
 foreheads, and little tails behind them, all trying to 
 spear the white man with the wicked little pitchforks 
 which they carried, and to seize him with their claws. 
 Freddie thought they were precisely like the imps he 
 had seen at Hanlon's Superba. When the white man 
 reached the shop-door they had nearly caught him. 
 He paused at that moment, looked wildly about him, 
 saw the open door of the shop, and dashed In and 
 banged the door to behind him. The Imps came tumb- 
 ling up and hesitated an Instant before the men at 
 the door; and In that Instant the Churchwarden showed 
 the most unexpected presence of mind. He quickly 
 reached behind him and drew a small bottle out of his 
 pocket and pulled out the cork and sprinkled a few 
 drops of Its contents on the ground before him. A 
 sharp penetrating odour immediately filled the air; it 
 was so intense that it made the tears come Into Fred- 
 die's eyes; but what it did to the wild mob of Imps 
 was almost beyond belief. As they got their first whiff 
 of It, they tumbled back over one another in a mad 
 
THE ODOUR OF SANCTITY 67 
 
 effort to get away; but they could not get away from 
 the odour quick enough; it caught them and held them, 
 so that in a moment they could not move; they stood 
 fixed and fast and silent; in another moment they be- 
 gan to melt away, and in two minutes they had van- 
 ished; actually vanished where they stood, each and 
 every one, before the very eyes of the astonished party 
 before the door. 
 
 "Blimy hif I ever see the like!" said Mr. Punch. 
 
 "Never knew my Odour of Sanctity to fail once," 
 said the Churchwarden, coolly. "Hardly ever go out 
 without it. There ain't a witch or an imp or a bad 
 spirit of any kind whatever can stand up against my 
 Odour of Sanctity, if he once gets a couple of good 
 whiffs of it out of this little bottle. Just a few drops 
 from the bottle, and a few sniffs, and whoof ! they're 
 done for ! No, sir ! there ain't no perfumery in the 
 world like Odour of Sanctity!" 
 
 On the floor of the shop they found the poor white 
 man lying completely exhausted. They asked him to 
 explain, but he could not speak. Mr. Toby and Mr. 
 Punch, one on each side, supported him into the back 
 room, and sat him down in a chair before Aunt 
 Amanda. She held up her hands in astonishment. The 
 man was certainly a strange-looking man. They plied 
 him with questions, but he touched his tongue with his 
 finger and shook his head. He could not speak; he 
 was dumb. Freddie, after one long look at him under 
 the gaslight, knew who he was. 
 
 "It's Mr. Hanlon!" he cried, in great excitement. 
 "It's Mr. Hanlon!" 
 
 The dumb man looked at Freddie and smiled, and 
 nodded his head. He rose to his feet, shook Freddie's 
 hand, and made a graceful bow to the whole company. 
 
 "It's Mr. Hanlon sure enough," said Toby, "still 
 being chased by the imps. Pretty near got him that 
 
68 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 time, too! But he got away safe and soaind after all, 
 didn't he, eh?" And all the party, including Mr. Han- 
 Ion himself, laughed with delight. And when the 
 Churchwarden pulled out his little perfume bottle and 
 showed it around, and explained to Mr. Hanlon what 
 it had done, the poor man was so overcome that he 
 put his head down on the Churchwarden's shoulder 
 and wept. 
 
 *'This'll never do!" cried Toby. "Ain't we never, 
 never, going to get down to this here map? I never 
 see such a time as I've had, trying to examine this 
 here map! One thing right after another! Mr. Han- 
 lon, I'll tell you what it's about, and then you can see 
 it for yourself. Would you like to stay here with 
 our little party? It's a good deal safer than out-of- 
 doors." 
 
 Mr. Hanlon nodded eagerly and smiled, and Toby 
 explained everything to him and showed him the map. 
 
 "Now," said Toby, when that was done, "speak 
 up, Warden, and finish what you was a-saying!" 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 CAPTAIN HIGGINSON AND THE SPANISH MAIN 
 
 THE Churchwarden, having put back into his 
 pocket the bottle of Odour of Sanctity, folded 
 his hands across his fat stomach and began 
 again : 
 
 "As I was saying— — " 
 
 "Never mind that," said Toby. "Tell us what we 
 had better do." 
 
 "Well, as I was saying," went on the Churchwarden, 
 paying no attention to Toby, "the best idea that occurs 
 to me, after thinking it over considerable, is that — 
 But I ain't saying there's none better, and I don't lay 
 claim to being any wiser than — Anyway, it seems to 
 me we ought to " 
 
 "Just listen to this!" broke in Aunt Amanda. She 
 had been studying the map all this time, and she was 
 holding it in her hands. She was much excited. "I've 
 just made out all this handwriting at the bottom of 
 the map, and I'll read it to you. Do you want to hear 
 it?" Her voice shook and her hands trembled. Every- 
 body except the Churchwarden begged her to go on. 
 "Oh! do you think it could be true? If it only could! 
 Oh, if it could only be true !" 
 
 "Maybe if you'd read it, Aunt Amanda " said 
 
 Toby. 
 
 "Yes, yes, I will," said she, all of a twitter. "I'll 
 read it. Don't hurry me. This is what it says. If it 
 could only be true ! 'Correction Island : By dead Reck- 
 oning, latitude 12° 32' 14" N., longitude 61° 45' 13" 
 
 69 
 
70 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 W.,' whatever that means. But I'll read It to you just 
 as it's written. It's a queer kind of language — Any- 
 way, this is what it says: 
 
 " 'Lately discovered by me, Reuben Higginson, 
 Master Mariner, Brig Cotton Mather : New Bedford. 
 
 "'Notify Elizabeth Higginson, Spinster: or Else 
 the acknowledged Elder of the Society of Friends : 
 New Bedford. 
 
 " 'Now off course in heavy gale on return Voyage 
 to fetch my Sister aforesaid to Correction Island with 
 as Many others as are Minded to come. 
 
 "'Leaking badly below line: pumps Given over: 
 Water mounting in hold: decks Awash: Both masts 
 gone By the board : whale-oil, no use : Down with all 
 hands in another Hour. 
 
 " 'This Map shall be cast Overboard in a stout Bot- 
 tel as we go down, with a Paper of directions how to 
 Gain correction in the Island.' " 
 
 "Where's the paper of directions?" said Toby. 
 
 "It ain't here," said Aunt Amanda. "I suppose 
 Captain Higginson lost it, or else he didn't have time 
 to put it in the bottle. Anyway, this is what the writing 
 on the map says : 
 
 " 'Let him that Finds the Bottel remember these 
 Mariners: Also, let him take heed to Search out the 
 Island diligently. 
 
 " 'For this Island' — Listen to w'hat it says now," 
 said Aunt Amanda, trembling with excitement. "Oh, 
 do you suppose it could really be true? And yet this 
 Reuben Higginson was a good Quaker captain, I'm 
 sure, and I don't believe he would say what wasn't 
 true, and especially when he was on his way home to 
 get his own sister " 
 
 "Why don't you read it, instead of talking about 
 it?" said Toby. 
 
THE SPANISH MAIN 71 
 
 "I would, if you'd let me," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "Here's what it says: 
 
 " 'For this Island is Refuge to such as be afflicted: 
 And in this Island shall be Corrected' — oh! listen to 
 this ! I wouldn't believe it from anybody but Reuben 
 Higginson — 'shall be Corrected whatever Errors, Dis- 
 appointments, Miscarriages, Faylures, Preventions, 
 and the like, this mortal Life may have afflicted Any 
 withal: Wherefore I have called it Correction Island. 
 
 " 'There be Perils enough in coming at Compleat 
 Correction : But let Courage halt not By the way, so 
 shall he Arrive presently. 
 
 " 'If any be Crooked' — this Is the part! it's too won- 
 derful ! but Captain Higginson wouldn't have said It, 
 when he was so near going down with his ship, and 
 especially on his way home to get his own sister " 
 
 "Me dear lydy," said Mr. Punch, "/?// you would 
 be so wery kind as to " 
 
 "Yes, yes; give me time. I declare you make me 
 so nervous — Now just listen to this, every one of you, 
 and don't speak: 
 
 "'If any be Crooked, he shall there be made 
 Straight' " 
 
 She paused, and looked hard at Toby. Mr. Punch 
 started at the same time, and he and Toby looked hard 
 at each other. 
 
 " 'If any be Blind, he shall see: If any Dumb, he 
 shall speak.' " 
 
 At the word "dumb," Mr. Hanlon, whose elbow 
 was resting on the table, jumped so violently that he 
 knocked the Album onto the floor. Aunt Amanda 
 nodded her head to him, and all the others stared at 
 him. 
 
 " 'If any be Old, he shall be Young again: If any 
 Fat, he shall be as Lean as he will.' " 
 
72 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 At the word "fat", the Churchwarden gave a ques- 
 tioning grunt, and settled down deeper in his chair. 
 
 " 'If any be Poor, whether In Purse or In Mind, he 
 shall seek Alms no longer.' " 
 
 The Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, who had 
 been resting his wooden leg on the chair opposite, 
 dropped it to the floor and sat up very straight. Toby, 
 who was standing beside him, clapped him heartily on 
 the shoulder. 
 
 " 'If any be Mean, or Cunning, or Despiteful, he 
 shall be given a new heart.' " 
 
 Aunt Amanda looked directly at the Sly Old Codger, 
 who was sitting smiling, with his tall silk hat on his 
 knees; and everyone else in the room, except Mr. Han- 
 Ion, looked very intently at him. He noticed it, and 
 glanced around mquiringly, smiling more benevolently 
 than ever. 
 
 "How beautiful that would be," he said. "How 
 beautiful ! If some of my dear, dear friends could only 
 have a new heart, — how beautiful!" 
 
 "Don't interrupt," said Aunt Amanda. "Freddie, 
 listen to this : 
 
 " 'If any be Little in stature, against his desire, he 
 shall be Great.' " 
 
 Freddie opened his eyes very wide. Would it be 
 possible to be big at once, without waiting all that long 
 dreary time? How glorious that would be! 
 
 "But this," said Aunt Amanda, "this is the last and 
 the best. I don't know — whether I can — read it 
 right — " her voice broke, and she blew her nose and 
 cleared her throat — "but I will try. Oh! do you sup- 
 pose it could be true? Would a good Quaker captain, 
 with a sister in New Bedford, say it if it wasn't true? 
 With the sea raging and both masts gone, and the 
 ship filling up with water, and " 
 
THE SPANISH MAIN 73 
 
 "Aunt Amanda," said Toby, "if you don't read the 
 rest of it this minute " 
 
 "Ah, yes, Toby, I will," said. Aunt Amanda. "It 
 must be true, or a good man like that wouldn't have 
 said it. This is the last part, and the best: 
 
 " 'If any be Prevented unjustly of Beauty or of 
 Children or of Love or of Other like desires, there 
 shall be found for him of these a great Store : So that 
 there shall be an End of repining, and none in that 
 Place shall say. Thus and thus might I have been also, 
 had I been but justly entreated. 
 
 " 'And so I commit my Body to the sea, and my 
 soul to ' " 
 
 "Go on ! go on !" cried the company — excepting, of 
 course, Mr. Hanlon. 
 
 Aunt Amanda blew her nose again, and laid down 
 the map on the table. "That's all," she said. "I 
 suppose he didn't have time to finish it." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 A MIXED COMPANY IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE 
 
 A FTER Aunt Amanda had stopped reading, it 
 A^ was a moment or two before anyone spoke. 
 -^ ^ "If all those things," said Mr. Toby 
 thoughtfully, "could be done in that Island, I'd be in 
 favor of going there." 
 
 There was a general murmur of assent, and Mr. 
 Hanlon nodded his head. 
 
 "Well," went on Mr. Toby, "we'd better make up 
 our minds what we want to do about it. The Church- 
 warden ain't had his say yet, what with all these inter- 
 ruptions, and I move we give him a chance to have 
 his say, right now. Speak up. Warden; what do you 
 think we ought to do?" 
 
 "As I was saying," said the Churchwarden, looking 
 around solemnly, "while I don't hold to my own opinion 
 if anybody else can think up something better, still it 
 seems to me — But maybe you'd ruther hear from the 
 others first." 
 
 "No, no !" cried the whole company, — except Mr. 
 Hanlon, who shook his head vigorously. 
 
 "Well, then, being as you've asked me so particular, 
 and having thought about it considerable, — as I was 
 saying, it appears to me that the best thing to do would 
 be to — This is only the way it looks to me, you under- 
 stand, and I ain't speaking for nobody but myself, and 
 I don't pretend that my opinion is worth " 
 
 "By crackey!" cried Mr. Toby, very rudely. "Ain't 
 you the most maddening old feller that ever was in the 
 
 74 
 
IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE 75 
 
 world? Come on, now, tell us what to do, and be 
 quick about it!" 
 
 "Call up the Able Seaman!" 
 
 This was so unexpected that nobody spoke for a 
 moment. 
 
 "Hurrah !" cried Toby. "Now you've said it. We'll 
 call up Mr. Lemuel Mizzen — is that his name? That's 
 the thing to do! Do you all agree to that?" Every- 
 body approved, and Mr. Toby turned to Freddie. 
 "He's your man, Freddie, and if you've done it once, 
 I reckon it won't be any harm for you to do it again. 
 Wait a m/mute." And he ran into the shop, and im- 
 mediately returned with the Chinaman's head and a 
 churchwarden pipe. 
 
 "Now, then, Freddie," he said. "Will you do it 
 again?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. "I'd rather not." 
 
 "You shouldn't make him do it," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Nonsense, Aunt Amanda !" cried Toby. "He's as 
 bad now as he'll ever be, and it ain't agoing to do him 
 no harm. I'll fill the pipe." 
 
 "Hit's quite a lark," said Mr. Punch, laughing 
 heartily. "Fancy the little beggar's smoking a pipe !" 
 
 "My dear little friend," began the Sly Old Fox, 
 beaming upon Freddie. "You must always remember 
 that your elders know best " 
 
 "Here, Freddie," said Mr. Toby, having filled the 
 pipe, "sit down here." And he pushed Freddie gently 
 down upon his accustomed hassock at Aunt Amanda's 
 feet. 
 
 Freddie shook his 'head, but Mr. Toby put the pipe 
 into his mouth and lit a match. All the others sat in 
 silence, watching Freddie intently. 
 
 "Now, then!" said Toby. "Pull away!" And he 
 touched the lighted match to the pipeful of black 
 tobacco. 
 
76 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Freddie gave a pull, and blew out a cloud of smoke. 
 He did not choke this time. He gave another pull, 
 and blew out another cloud. The white smoke lay above 
 the heads of the company in a thick mass; it grew 
 thicker, so that he could not see through it; it began to 
 move, as if in a high wind. He drew on the pipe 
 once more, and blew out another cloud of smoke. He 
 knew what was coming, and in fact the same thing 
 happened that had happened to him before. The 
 white cloud churned about, with its barber-poles and 
 jets of fire, coming down closer and closer upon him, 
 and in a jiffy he was sitting in midair on his hassock, 
 and then he felt himself falling, falling; and as he 
 struck the bottom with a jar, he heard, very distinctly, 
 a knock on the door; and he was sitting again on his 
 hassock at Aunt Amanda's feet in the quiet room, with 
 no sign of a cloud anywhere to be seen. 
 
 "Come in!" he heard Mr. Toby cry. 
 
 The door opened, and in walked Mr. Lemuel Miz- 
 zen, A. B., as cool as a cucumber. 
 
 He took off his flat blue cap with the black ribbon, 
 and made a bow to the company. 
 
 "Piped me aft again, and good evening to you all!" 
 said he, in his hoarse voice. "Lemuel Mizzen, A. B. ! 
 That's me! What'll it be? All ready for orders, 
 skipper! It was just half past by the starboard watch, 
 and the skippers their apples were quietly peeling, when 
 I locked up the last of the lemons and Scotch, and 
 lay on my bed looking up at the ceiling, to snatch forty 
 winks, as I foolishly reckoned; but just as I thinks, 
 'Thirty-first, thirty-second,' there's a ring at the bell of 
 the big front-door, and the mates come and yell that 
 Pm wanted ashore; so I tucks in my cap the eight 
 points of my nap, and just before stopping to turn 
 down the lights, I runs to the dresser and puts it to 
 rights, and then before giving a last look behind, I goes 
 
IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE 77 
 
 to the bed and takes off the spread, and lays out to 
 air the three sheets in the wind! And here I be," con- 
 cluded the Able Seaman, "all ready for orders," And 
 he looked very hard at Freddie. 
 
 "Well!" said Aunt Amanda, gasping. "I never in 
 my life heard such a " 
 
 "I'll tell you what it is, Mr. Mizzen," said Toby. 
 "It's about Correction Island, on the Spanish Main." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir !" said Mr. Mizzen. "Would you like 
 to go there?" 
 
 "Ah!" said everyone at once, except Mr. Hanlon, 
 who nodded his head. 
 
 "No trouble at all," said Mr. Mizzen. "Just step 
 into The Sieve, and we'll be off. A sweet little bark 
 is The Sieve, provided there's plenty of dippers; but 
 we always go well provided. Is the whole party 
 going?" 
 
 "One moment, if you please," said the Sly Old 
 Codger. "There is one Tittle point on which I — that 
 is to say — Will there be any expense?" 
 
 "Not a penny," said Mr, Mizzen. "Everything's 
 found. Orders from the skipper. What he says 
 goes," 
 
 "Ah!" said the Sly Old Fox. "The Spanish Main! 
 With all the little parrots and monkeys flitting about 
 in the branches of the upas trees ! — I think I will 
 join," 
 
 "I reckon we're all going," said Mr, Toby, "Is 
 everybody agreed? All right. It's settled. And my 
 vote is, to go right now, while we've got hold of our 
 Able Seaman here," 
 
 "Shouldn't I tell mother first?" asked Freddie, 
 
 "I'll write her a note in the morning," said Toby. 
 "I'll fix it; you leave it to me," 
 
 "I suppose I really ought to finish this sewing," said 
 Aunt Amanda, 
 
78 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "No time," said Toby, who seemed to be managing 
 everything. "Where's the ship, Mr. Mizzen?" 
 
 "Made fast to the wharf at the foot of this street," 
 said Mr. Mizzen. 
 
 "Then let's go," said Toby. 
 
 He ran out of the room, and returned with his white 
 derby hat on his head, and his hand-painted necktie 
 neatly in its place. He helped Aunt Amanda to get up, 
 and brought her her little black bonnet, which she put 
 on and tied under her chin, and her cashmere shawl, 
 which she put around her shoulders. 
 
 "All right!" cried Toby. "We're off! Come along!" 
 
 "We're off to the Spanish Main," said Mr. Mizzen, 
 in his curious sing-song, "to the wet Antipodee; but 
 dry or wet we need not fret, for we are bold as bold 
 can be; and on the way at Botany Bay we'll probably 
 stay a week or two, to gather ferns as the Botanists 
 do, and then we'll stop at the door of Spain, to ask 
 the way to the Spanish Main, and so without any more 
 delay, on the Spanish Main we'll all alight, where the 
 star-fish shines in the sea all night, and the dog-star 
 barks in the sky all day — Here, skipper, put this in your 
 pocket, and hold fast to it." He handed Freddie the 
 map, and Freddie put it away safely in his pocket. 
 
 "Have you got the Odour of Sanctity?" said Mr. 
 Toby to the Churchwarden. 
 
 "Right here," said the fat man, tapping his back 
 pocket. 
 
 "I'll carry the Chinaman's tobacco," said Toby. "We 
 may need it." And he tucked the Chinaman's head 
 under his arm. 
 
 In a few moments the whole party were standing 
 on the pavement outside, and Toby locked the shop- 
 door behind them. They crossed the street, and as 
 they did so they heard a faint voice halloing from the 
 top of the church tower, and they could make out 
 
IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE 79 
 
 that it said, "Punch! Punch!" But Mr. Punch only 
 sniffed and shrugged his shoulders, and made no 
 answer. 
 
 It was very dark. The gas-lamps at the corners only 
 made the darkness gloomier. The only sound they 
 heard, after Mr. Punch's father's voice had died away 
 behind them, was the stump-stump of the Old Codger's 
 wooden leg on the brick pavement. All the dwelling- 
 houses were closed, and as they came nearer to the 
 wharves all the warehouses were dark and awful. Not 
 a soul was to be seen, except that once they saw the 
 back of a policeman as he disappeared around a dark 
 corner in advance. At the sight of this policeman's 
 back, and in the shadow of a great gloomy building 
 alongside an alley, Freddie slipped his hand into the 
 Able Seaman's big paw. He wondered if he were doing 
 quite right in leaving home without saying a word to 
 his mother, but Mr. Toby had promised to do what- 
 ever was necessary, and anyway, he was going aboard 
 a ship ! If he should stop to speak to his mother about 
 going away on a voyage in a ship, he felt somehow 
 that he might never go. He could already smell the 
 delicious odour of tarred ropes. 
 
 Their progress was very slow, on account of Aunt 
 Amanda's lameness. First came Mr. Mizzen, leading 
 the way with Freddie by his side. Next came Aunt 
 Amanda, limping with her cane, and supported on one 
 side by Mr. Toby and on the other by Mr. Punch. Be- 
 hind them walked the Churchwarden and the Sly Old 
 Fox, and last of all Mr. Hanlon, and the Old Codger 
 with the Wooden Leg. 
 
 They could see not far before them the ghost-like 
 masts and shrouds of ships, looking as if they were 
 growing up from the street among the buildings; and 
 in another moment they found themselves standing in 
 a group on a wide wharf, piled up with bales and 
 
8o THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 boxes, and before them, against the edge of the wharf, 
 where the black water was lapping the piles, stood a 
 tall ship with most of her sails set. Freddie thrilled 
 in every vein of his body. At that moment he did 
 not think of his father or mother; he thought of noth- 
 ing but the smell of brackish water and tarred ropes, 
 and the deck of a ship on the open sea under a cloud 
 of canvas, and the far-av/ay Spanish Main. 
 
 The Able Seaman led the company of adventurers 
 forward between the bales and boxes, until they stood 
 beside the dark hull of the ship. He turned round 
 and faced them and touched his cap respectfully. 
 
 "Come aboard," said he. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 
 
 HEN Freddie awoke the next morning, he 
 leaned up on his elbow, rubbing his eyes, and 
 was surprised to see the floor of the little 
 room in which he found himself settling slowly down 
 at one side. In a moment the floor rose again on 
 that side, and the other side settled down. Then the 
 whole room tilted sideways and back again. It made 
 him dizzy, and he closed his eyes, wondering what kind 
 of a house he had gotten into. He decided he would 
 get up and find out about It. 
 
 He carefully rose, and tried to walk across the floor 
 to the window. As he stepped out, the floor seemed 
 to go down under him, and he quickly grasped the 
 bed; he put out his foot again, and the floor rose up; 
 he was dizzier than before, and he had a queer sink- 
 ing feeling In his stomach. As the floor tilted down 
 sideways again, he made a dash to the opposite wall, 
 and held on there by the window; but the floor sank 
 again, and he made another dash, back to bed. He 
 was cold and hot, and his head ached, and there was a 
 feeling In his stomach as if — oh dear! He decided he 
 would lie In bed for a few moments until he felt better. 
 
 He remained there for two days. 
 
 What occurred during those two days he could not 
 remember very well afterwards. He slept a great deal, 
 and It seemed that some one with a green patch over 
 his eye came in now and then; but he paid very little 
 
82 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 attention. All he wanted was to go to sleep and stay 
 asleep. 
 
 On the morning after his third night he sat up wide 
 awake. He was hungry. He jumped up and dressed 
 in a hurry. As the floor tilted and sank and rose with 
 him he thought he had never felt so delicious a sensa- 
 tion. He wondered if there would be bacon and eggs 
 for breakfast. 
 
 In a moment he had thrown open the door and he 
 was running up a short flight of steps. He was weak 
 and tottery, but he paid no attention to that. He was 
 at the top of the steps, and he drew in a deep breath 
 of the cool morning air. 
 
 He was standing on the deck of a great ship. Over 
 his head clouds and clouds of beautiful white canvas 
 swelled out to the breeze. The sun was sparkling mer- 
 rily on the water, and there was no land to be seen 
 anywhere. Up forward, the bow of the ship was dip- 
 ping and rising regularly. There were three tall masts, 
 and on the first two the sails were set square to the 
 masts, and on the third lengthwise; every sail seemed 
 to be up. It was glorious. 
 
 He walked forward up the deck. Here and there 
 were men in blue over-alls, cleaning the deck, coiling 
 ropes, and polishing metal; and in a little house with 
 windows a man was standing beside an upright wheel. 
 Near the first mast, in a group, were Aunt Amanda, 
 Mr. Toby, the Churchwarden, and the two old Cod- 
 gers. Freddie hailed them with a shout. 
 
 "All right, young feller," cried Mr. Toby, as Fred- 
 die came up, "here we are! How is this for a corking 
 spree? Beats all the Tolchester excursions you ever 
 see, that's what I say! Blamed if it don't. I ain't 
 been out of bed for two days." 
 
 "No more has any of us," said Aunt Amanda. "Do 
 
THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 83 
 
 you feel well, Freddie? I declare I'm quite excited. 
 Isn't the air invigorating?" 
 
 "Yes'm," said Freddie, "What did you say In your 
 note, Mr. Toby?" 
 
 "What note?" said Toby. 
 
 "Why, your note to my mother, explaining about me 
 and " 
 
 "By crackey!" cried Toby. "Blamed If I didn't 
 clean forget all about it! Now ain't that too bad! 
 What on earth are we going to do about It?" 
 
 "Well!" said Aunt Amanda. "Now ain't that just 
 like you, Toby Littleback? I declare if your head 
 wasn't fastened on you'd " 
 
 "Wery reprehensible," said Mr. Punch. "Wery," 
 
 "My dear friends," said the Sly Old Codger, "let us 
 not be disquieted on such a morning as this. Every- 
 thing is so beautiful. So beautiful! And without any 
 expense whatever. It Is a precious thought. How 
 pleasant it is to hear the breeze blowing so gently 
 among all the little capstans up there!" 
 
 He took off his high silk hat and looked up among 
 the sails with a rapt expression on his face, and all the 
 others looked up too, trying to see the capstans flut- 
 tering In the breeze. 
 
 "Look!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Why, there's Mr. 
 Hanlon!" 
 
 Far, far up, near the top of the second mast, was a 
 white figure, standing on a rope under the topmost 
 sail, and holding on with one hand and waving the 
 other down at the passengers. Mr. Toby waved his 
 white derby, and Mr. Hanlon began to come down. 
 Freddie trembled with alarm, but Mr. Hanlon was 
 obviously having the time of his life. He skipped 
 swiftly along his dangerous perch, and sliding down 
 and along the spars of wood that held the sails, and 
 actually leaping from one to another, and tripping 
 
84 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 lightly down ladders of rope, while the whole top 
 swayed dizzily from side to side, he at length came 
 down on the deck with a bounce, and bowing to every- 
 body shook Freddie by the hand. 
 
 "Here comes the Able Seaman!" cried Toby. "And 
 see what he's got on his wrist!" 
 
 Mr. Lemuel Mizzen came rolling down the deck, 
 and as he approached he took off his cap with his left 
 hand and made a bow. On his right wrist was a 
 blue and red parrot, who cocked his head sideways at 
 the strangers, and then looked up inquiringly at the 
 Able Seaman. 
 
 "Good morning, all!" said Mr. Mizzen. "Glad to 
 see the passengers come to life again ! Nothing like 
 the open sea, lady and gentlemen!" 
 
 "Are you sure it's perfectly safe?" said Aunt 
 Amanda. 
 
 "Perfectly safe, ma'am. A tight little bark is The 
 Sieve, provided the dippers hold out. Most of the men 
 is below now, baling out the water with their dippers, 
 and the ship ain't leaking more than ordinary — yet. 
 Of course you never can tell what may happen, but 
 there's plenty of dippers, unless we should founder in 
 a storm, or split up on the rocks, or " 
 
 "Mercy on us !" cried Aunt Amanda. "I wish we 
 hadn't come. If I only had some sewing with me." 
 
 "Would you mend socks, ma'am?" 
 
 "Oh, that would be lovely! And I could look after 
 the men's shirts, too, and count the laundry when It 
 comes home, and — Pm sure we are going to have a 
 delightful voyage ! I feel better already. I don't be- 
 lieve there's any danger after all. It's all nonsense 
 about the ship's leaking." 
 
 "Who's your f-f-f-frlends, L-l-lem?" shrieked a voice 
 from Mr. MIzzen's wrist. 
 
 Everyone started, and looked in amazement at the 
 
THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 85 
 
 parrot, whose head was perked sideways up at Mr. 
 iMizzen's face. 
 
 "L-l-lem!" shrieked the parrot, stuttering terribly. 
 ''Who's your f-f-f-friends?" 
 
 "Never you mind," said Lemuel, "you'll find out 
 soon enough. Breakfast's ready. Anybody want break- 
 fast?" 
 
 Before anyone had a chance to reply, the parrot 
 opened his mouth wide and gave a loud laugh, and 
 cried out: 
 
 "Th-th-three ch-cheers! Th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, 
 s-s-steak, b-b-bacon and eggs ! I'll have 1-1-1-liver and 
 onions ! Ha ! ha ! ha ! Th-th-three ch-cheers for 
 1-1-1-liver and onions!" 
 
 "Be quiet, Marmaduke," said the Able Seaman. 
 "I'll lock you up again, if you ain't careful." 
 
 "K-k-k-ker-c^ oo.''" said Marmaduke, giving a loud 
 sneeze; and rubbed his beak with his foot and flut- 
 tered his feathers. "L-1-l-lock me up in the a-a-after 
 hold, till I g-g-g-get all over this d-d-d-dreadful cold ! 
 Th-th-three ch-cheers for hay f-f-f-fever! K-k-k-ker- 
 chooT 
 
 "I'll lock you up in the after hold, If you don't quit 
 being so fresh and bold; I'll learn you manners before 
 I'm through, and if ever I hear one little — " 
 
 "Ker-c/ioo/" said Marmaduke, finishing Mr. Miz- 
 zen's sentence for him very neatly. 
 
 Everyone laughed, except the Able Seaman. 
 
 "All right," said he, "just wait till I've had my chow, 
 I'll attend to you proper; now off with you — now!" 
 And he tossed Master Marmaduke off his wrist up 
 into the air. The parrot lit on a spar overhead, just 
 under a sail, and peered down at the company with- 
 out the least appearance of embarrassment. 
 
 "If there's b-b-b-bacon and eggs," he cried, "I'll 
 take 1-1-1-liver ! Th-th-three ch-ch-cheers for 1-1-1-liver !" 
 
86 
 
 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "L-l-leml" shrieked the parrot. "Who's your 
 f.f.f.friends?" 
 
THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 87 
 
 Freddie burst into a merry laugh, and all his friends 
 joined; all except Mr. Punch, who looked puzzled. 
 
 " 'Ow could 'e 'ave liver," said he, "hif there was 
 only by con an' heggs?" 
 
 At this everyone laughed louder than before, and 
 Mr. Punch was completely perplexed. 
 
 "I'll explain that to you some day," said Toby. 
 "Didn't you never hear a joke?" 
 
 "Ho, yes," said Mr. Punch. "HI 'eard a wery 
 good joke once; a wery good one indeed. Hi'U re- 
 late It to you. When I was a lad — " 
 
 "There's the breakfast bell," said Mr. Mizzen. 
 "Sorry to Interrupt, but we mustn't let it get cold. 
 We'll hold the election afterwards." 
 
 No one, waited to hear Mr. Punch's joke. The 
 Able Seaman led the way, and all the others followed 
 him down the deck, towards a kind of three-sided 
 box which opened on a stairway below. 
 
 In a moment or two they found themselves In the 
 dining-saloon, and In another moment they were 
 seated about a round table, set for breakfast. The 
 passengers insisted on the Able Seaman's sitting down 
 with them, and he consented to do so. 
 
 A lad of about eighteen entered, to wait on the 
 table. He had a shock of bright red hair, and a kind 
 of frightened look in his eyes, as if he were afraid 
 he would do everything wrong, and would always be 
 in hot water about It. He stood behind the Able Sea- 
 man's chair, and began to make a queer contortion of 
 the face, in an effort to speak. 
 
 "Th-th-th-there's — " he began. 
 
 "Skipper first," Interrupted Mr. Mizzen, nodding 
 towards Freddie. 
 
 The Cabin-boy (for that was what he was) went 
 to Freddie's chair, and began to speak again, with 
 the same contortion of the face. 
 
88 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon 
 and eggs," he said. 
 
 *'Yes, sir," said Freddie. 
 
 The Cabin-boy stared in bewilderment, and began 
 again. 
 
 "Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon 
 and eggs," said he. 
 
 •"Yes, sir," said Freddie, much embarrassed. 
 
 "I don't blame you, skipper," said the Able Seaman. 
 "I would too, if I hadn't eaten for two days. Next!" 
 
 The Cabin-boy stood behind Aunt Amanda's chair, 
 and began: 
 
 "Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon 
 and — Ker-c7zoo.^" He gave a hearty sneeze, and pulled 
 out his pocket-handkerchief; so he had to begin all 
 over again: 
 
 "Th-th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-s-s — " 
 
 "Chops, thank you," said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 The Cabin-boy took his stand behind Toby's chair, 
 and began : 
 
 "There's — there's — th-th-th-th — Ker-choof Th-th- 
 there's ch-ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-s-s — " 
 
 "Chops and steak," said Toby. 
 
 The Cabin-boy stood behind each of the other chairs 
 in turn, and repeated each time his entire list. Every- 
 body gave a different order, and the boy became so 
 bewildered at last that he wiped his forehead with his 
 pocket-handkerchief, brushed a tear from his eye, and 
 when he had taken the last order dashed out of the 
 door with a kind of sob. 
 
 As soon as he was gone, sounds came through the 
 door by which he had left, as if a dreadful row was 
 going on in the next room. 
 
 "Frightful temper, that cook," said the Able Sea- 
 man, "but the boy certainly does get on his nerves." 
 
 In a short time the Cabin-boy came in with four 
 
THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 89 
 
 plates at once, and as he reached Freddie's chair the 
 ship gave a deep lurch downward, and the four plates 
 shot out of his arms across the room, showering the 
 floor with chops, steak, bacon and eggs. 
 
 The boy gave a wild cry and burst Into tears, and fled 
 through the door. From the next room came the sound 
 of a row more violent than before. 
 
 "Never mind," said Mr. Mizzen, "he'll be back." 
 
 He came back presently, his eyes very red, and 
 stumbling in and out managed to put down before 
 each one a plate. Every plate contained chops, steak, 
 bacon and eggs. 
 
 "Now," said Mr. Mizzen, when the breakfast was 
 over, "we'll go up and hold the election." 
 
 When they came on deck, they were astonished to 
 see a considerable number of men in blue overalls, 
 who were sitting on the deck in a group. As the 
 passengers approached, they stood up respectfully, and 
 one of them said something privately to Mr. Mizzen. 
 
 "They've held the election already," said the Able 
 Seaman, turning to the passengers. "There's three 
 dozen of 'em, and they've elected the captains and 
 mates for the voyage; thirteen captains and twenty- 
 three mates. They went right ahead without waiting 
 for me, so I'm the only Able Seaman left on the ship." 
 
 "What!" said Aunt Amanda. "Do you mean to 
 tell me— ?" ^ 
 
 "It's all right, madam," said Mr. Mizzen in an 
 undertone. "You see, they're all free and equal, and 
 everything goes by voting. They won't have it any 
 other way. It's lucky they didn't all want to be cap- 
 tains. It's all right, anyway, because there's none of 
 'em knows anything about navigation, and I'm the only 
 one on board that does know; so it comes to the same 
 thing as If they had elected me captain. But of course 
 they don't think of that. Not a word. I'll send 'em 
 
90 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 about their business now, as soon as they've put on 
 their uniforms." 
 
 "Well!" said Aunt Amanda, gasping. "I never in 
 my life—!" 
 
 The thirteen captains and the twenty-three mates 
 disappeared from the deck in a hurry, and in a very 
 few minutes reappeared. Each one of them wore, in 
 place of his blue overalls, a smart blue suit with brass 
 buttons and gold braid, and a jaunty^ blue cap with 
 gold braid around it; the mates having only nine in- 
 stead of ten rows of braid around their sleeves. 
 
 The Able Seaman led them aside, and after a few 
 words with them returned to his passengers. 
 
 "Everything's settled," said he. "Some of them 
 are going below with their dippers, and the rest of 
 them are to look after handling the ship. The navi- 
 gation is left to me. We'll get along fine now, pro- 
 vided the leaks don't get any worse." 
 
 Freddie wandered off by himself, to inspect the ship. 
 He could walk very well now, in spite of the roll of the 
 ship, and he went everywhere. He found himself 
 finally on the after deck, leaning over the rail and 
 watching the wake of the ship boiling away so white 
 and beautiful behind. He was more and more de- 
 lighted with this strange adventure. It was too bad 
 that Mr. I'oby had forgotten to write the note to his 
 mother, but it couldn't be helped now, and they would 
 sometime find a place somewhere or other where they 
 could post a letter. It was so entrancing to be actu- 
 ally at sea on a ship, with the deck rising and falling, 
 and the wake boiling away behind, and land nowhere 
 in sight, that it would seem a pity ever to arrive at 
 the Spanish Main; but the thought of adventures 
 there — ! However, he was in no hurry to have the 
 Voyage over. 
 
 Aunt Amanda was sitting somewhere with a pile of 
 
THE VOYAGE OF THE SIEVE 9 1 
 
 sailors' socks In her lap, perfectly contented. Mr. 
 Hanlon was swinging his feet away up yonder from 
 the topmost yard of the second mast. The Church- 
 warden, Mr. Punch, Toby, and the Sly Old Fox were 
 engaged in an earnest discussion in chairs beside the 
 deck-house. The Old Codger with the Wooden Leg 
 was speaking confidentially in the ear of the twenty- 
 first mate, in an effort to borrow a pipeful of tobacco. 
 
 Suddenly Freddie heard behind him the loud harsh 
 laughter of Marmaduke the parrot. Turning round, 
 he saw the parrot perched on the ship's rail, and before 
 him was the Cabin-boy, shaking his finger In the par- 
 rot's face, and storming away at him angrily. Freddie 
 immediately went over to them. 
 
 "I w-w-w-won't s-s-s-s-stand it no 1-1-1-1-longer !" the 
 Cabin-boy was bawling, his face nearly as red as 
 his hair. "I w-w-w-won't! W-w-w-what do you 
 m-m-m-mean by m-m-m-mocking me all the t-t-t-ime?" 
 
 "Who? M-m-m-m-m-me ?" said the parrot. 
 
 "I'-y-y-yaas, y-y-y-you !" cried the Cabin-boy. "Just 
 because I s-s-s-s-s-stutter, do you — do you — do you have 
 to — have to — s-s-s-s-stut-stutter too?" 
 
 "M-m-m-m-me? You're entirely m-m-m-m-mlstaken. 
 You're the one that s-s-s-stut-s-s-s-stutters." 
 
 "Ain't you always s-s-saying — saying — ch-ch-chops, 
 s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-b-bacon and eggs? Ain't you? You've 
 got to k-k-k-k-qult — r-r-right now, d'you hear? I 
 w-w-w-won't s-s-s-stand It no l-l-l-l-longer, and you 
 b-b'b-better b-b-b-believe it!" 
 
 "Highty-tlghty! Sixty, ninety! Uncle Sam! Pop 
 pop ! Th-th-there's ch-ch-chops, s-s-s-steak, b-b-b-bacon 
 and eggs ! Th-th-three ch-ch-cheers for 1-1-1-lIver and 
 onions !" 
 
 The poor Cabin-boy burst out crying. 
 
 "All ri-I-i-Ight," he sobbed, stamping his foot. "All 
 ri-I-I-Ight. I c-c-can't help It — If — I do s-s-stutter. But 
 
92 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 there ain't no p-p-p-p-parrot going to m-m-m-m-mock 
 me, M-m-m-m-mizzen nor no M-m-m-m-mizzen. I'll 
 wring — your — bla-a-a-asted — neck first, you ornery — 
 1-I-l-Iittle — varmint, you s-s-s-see if I — see if I — d-d-d- 
 don't!" 
 
 "M arm a duke's my name!" shrieked the parrot. 
 "Please to note the same! Pop, pop, pop! I'll have 
 1-1-1-liver and onions, 1-i-l-l-liver and onions, 1-1-1-1-liver 
 and onions, pop, pop, pop!" 
 
 The Cabin-boy, shaking with sobs, raised his hand 
 threateningly. 
 
 "D-d-d-d-don't you d-d-d-dare t-t-t-to — Ker-choof" 
 He sneezed, and out came his handkerchief. 
 
 ^^Ker-choof" sneezed the parrot, and rubbed his 
 beak with his foot. 
 
 This was the last straw. The Cabin-boy reached 
 for Marmaduke's neck, and would surely have choked 
 him then and there, if Freddie had not caught his 
 arm and pulled him away. 
 
 The Cabin-boy allowed himself to be led off, and 
 Freddie drew him along towards the companion-way. 
 
 "Come along down to my room," said Freddie. 
 
 "All r-r-right," said the Cabin-boy, wiping his eyes 
 and sniffling. "I'll c-c-c-come, b-b-b-but there's going 
 to be trouble — trouble — on this sh-sh-sh-ship along o' 
 that p-p-p-parrot before this — before this v-v-v-voyage 
 — is over, you m-m-m-mark m-m-m-m-my w-w-w-w- 
 words!" 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE cabin-boy's REVENGE 
 
 T was a soft moonlight night in southern seas. Our 
 party of adventurers, with Mr. Mizzen in their 
 midst, were sitting quietly on the after part of the 
 deck, enjoying the balmy air and watching the bright 
 track which the full moon made on the water. The 
 sea was very calm. There was only a light breeze, and 
 The Sieve was hardly moving. 
 
 Mr. Mizzen was scratching the head of Marmaduke 
 the parrot, who was perched on the Able Seaman's 
 wrist. From the forward part of the deck, where the 
 skippers and mates were sitting in a party of their own, 
 could be heard the tinkle of a guitar and the sound 
 of a voice singing. 
 
 "One always enjoys," said Mr. Punch, "a bit of 
 singing by moonlight on the water. HI remember when 
 I was a lad — " 
 
 "Why don't you sing for us yourself?" said Toby. 
 
 "Oh, do!" cried several of the others.* 
 
 Mr. Punch looked down at the deck bashfully. "Hi 
 should be wery glad to oblige," said he, "but I 'ave a 
 slight cold, and besides. Hi only know one song." 
 
 "What is the name of It?" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Kathleen Mavourneen," said Mr. Punch. 
 
 "That's a very good song," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "Sing it." 
 
 "Wait a minute," said Mr. Mizzen, "and I'll get the 
 guitar. I can play it." 
 
 93 
 
94 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 While he was gone, and while the others were 
 talking, Freddie felt a hand on his arm, and looking 
 down saw the Cabin-boy sitting on the deck beside 
 his chair, and winking up at him with a strange excited 
 look on his face. The Cabin-boy pulled Freddie's head 
 down, and whispered in his ear. 
 
 "S-s-s-sh! K-k-keep your eyes o-o-ope-open! Some- 
 thing's going to happen to-to-tonight ! You'll see! 
 Down with M-m-mizzen and M-m-marmaduke !" 
 
 Freddie gazed at the Cabin-boy in some alarm, and 
 was about to ask a question, when Mr. Mizzen re- 
 turned with the guitar. 
 
 "Now we're ready," said he, taking his seat and put- 
 ting Marmaduke on the rail of the ship. "Here's the 
 chord. All right, Mr. Punch." 
 
 "HI really 'ave such a cold — " said Mr. Punch. 
 
 "That's understood," said Toby. "Now then, strike 
 up." 
 
 Mr. Punch cleared his throat very loud, and coughed 
 once or twice, and began to sing: 
 
 "Kathleen Mavourneen, the gr'y dorn is bryking, 
 The 'orn of the 'unter is 'card on the 'ill." 
 
 "Ha ! ha ! ha ! ha !" roared Toby. "The 'orn of the 
 'unter! Blamed if I ever hear the like of that before! 
 My stars! What's the matter, Mr. Punch, can't you 
 put in a little 'h' now and then? The 'orn of the 
 'unter! Oh my stars ! Ha ! ha ! ha ! ha !" 
 
 Mr. Punch was deeply offended. "Hit is quite suf- 
 ficient," said he. "Hi shall sing no more." And noth- 
 ing that anybody could say could induce him to go on. 
 
 "Toby Littleback," said Aunt Amanda, "it's just 
 like you, all over. Now you ask Mr. Punch's pardon, 
 right this minute." 
 
 Toby apologized, and Mr. Punch said that it was of 
 no consequence whatever; but he would not sing. 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE 95 
 
 "Then I guess you'll have to sing for us yourself, 
 Mizzen," said Toby. 
 
 *'Right-o," said Mr. Mizzen, thrumming on his gui- 
 tar. "What'll it be?" 
 
 The Cabin-boy sniffed and spoke in an undertone 
 close to Freddie's ear. 
 
 "He'll be s-s-smging on the other s-s-side of his 
 f-f-face before this night's o-o-over, you mark m-m-m- 
 my wo-wo-words !" 
 
 "Lady and gentlemen" — began Mr. Mizzen. 
 
 "Ker-choo !" sneezed the parrot. "A wet sh-sh-sheet 
 and a f-f-flowing s-s-s-sea ! Three cheers f-f-f or the — 
 Ker-choo! Three cheers f-f-for hay f-f-fe-fever !" 
 
 "Down with b-b-b-both of 'em!" whispered the 
 Cabin-boy fiercely in Freddie's ear. 
 
 "Suppose you sing us something about yourself," 
 said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Ay, ay, ma'am," said Mr. Mizzen; and after play- 
 ing a few chords and quivers on the guitar, he began 
 to sing, in a voice like a fog-horn muffled by a heavy 
 fog, the following song concerning the 
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF L. MIZZEN 
 
 "When I was a lad I was bad as I could be, 
 Wouldn't say 'Thank you' nor 'Please,' not me, 
 And at church I wouldn't kneel but only on one 
 
 knee. 
 And at school I wouldn't study my ABC, 
 And 1 couldn't conscientious with the Golden Rule 
 
 agree. 
 Nor understand the secret of its popularitee, 
 Nor get a ounce of pleasure from the Rule of 
 
 Three, — 
 I was bad right through; sweared 'hully gee,' 
 And worse sometimes, like 'jiminee;' 
 Scrawled with a pencil on my jographee. 
 
96 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Stole birds' eggs In the huckleberry tree, — 
 
 Oh, I was bad; tried to learn a flea 
 
 How to keep his balance on a rolling pea, — 
 
 Oh, regular bad; and my ma, said she, 
 
 'If you don't be better than what you be, 
 
 I'll put you in the cupboard and turn the key.' 
 
 But I wouldn't and I wouldn't, no sirree, 
 
 So I ran away to sea; 
 Yes, I ran away to sea; 
 
 With a little gingham, bottle of cambric tea, 
 And a penny wrapped up in my hankerchee, 
 
 For I wanted to be free. 
 So I ran away to sea." 
 
 Mr. Mizzen stopped, and looked towards the stern 
 of the ship. "I thought," said he, "I kind of noticed 
 something queer about the stern rail; looked as if it 
 was lower. But I guess I'm mistaken." 
 
 Everyone looked, but saw nothing amiss. The 
 Cabin-boy tittered into Freddie's ear. 
 
 "Would you like to hear the second verse?" said the 
 Able Seaman. 
 
 "Yes, yes! Go on!" said several voices at once. 
 
 "Here goes, then," said Mr. Mizzen, thrumming 
 on the guitar. "After I ran away to sea, I had a good 
 many adventures, and some of 'em — anyway — 
 
 "When I was young I followed the Equator 
 From Pole to Pole in the ship Perambulator, 
 A four-wheeled schooner, a smoky old freighter. 
 Loaded with sulphur for an old dead crater 
 In the Andes Mountains, and a night or two later 
 With a three-knot gale blowing loud and rude 
 As the dark grows darker and the gale In- 
 creases 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE 97 
 
 Of a sudden we strike and we goes all to 
 pieces 
 On the forty-seventh parallel of latitude. 
 And then and there we formed a committee 
 And went in a body up to London City 
 
 And walked up the steps and pulled the little 
 bell, 
 And spoke out bold to the Lords of Creation 
 Where they sat in their wigs making rules of navi- 
 gation, 
 And explained to 'em the dangers of the Deadly 
 Parallel. 
 *Take 'em down and pull 'em in,' 
 That's the way we did begin: 
 ' 'Tisn't leaks nor 'tisn't whiskey 
 Makes the sailor's life so risky. 
 It's the parallel as lies acrost our track. 
 It's the Deadly Parallel, lying there so long and 
 black. 
 Is the subject of our moderate petition; 
 'Tisn't much that we are wishin', 
 But we humbly beg permission 
 To implore, — 
 Coil 'em up, we implore, where they won't be in 
 
 the way, 
 Out of sight, safe ashore, we humbly pray; 
 For there's many a tidy bark 
 Strikes against 'em in the dark 
 And is never never heard of any more. 
 So we'll thank you heartilee 
 If so very kind you'll be 
 And remove this awful danger from the sea.' 
 But we couldn't make 'em do it; 
 No, they simply wouldn't do it; 
 And the bailiff shoved us gently from the door. 
 And we wept uncommon salty, 
 
98 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 For their reason did seem faulty, 
 Any way that we could view it: 
 
 And the reason which they gave us 
 Why they really couldn't save us 
 
 Was because the thing had ne'er been done before ; 
 
 No, such a thing had ne'er been done before." 
 
 Mr, MIzzen stopped again, and looked along the 
 deck and up at the masts, and said, "I can't get It out 
 of rny head that the deck is slanting a little more than 
 usual; the ship doesn't seem to come up well at the 
 stern. However, — would you like to hear any more of 
 this song?" 
 
 Everybody begged him to go on. 
 
 The Cabin-boy plucked Freddie's sleeve. "I've done 
 it. You'll s-s-s-see ! Won't that M-m-marmaduke and 
 that M-m-m-mlzzen sing another tune when they f-f-f- 
 fmd out?" Freddie looked at him In amazement; but 
 the Able Seaman was commencing the third verse of 
 his song: 
 
 *'When I was older, and bold as you please, 
 I shipped on the good ship Firkin of Cheese, 
 For a v'yage of discovery In the far South Seas, 
 To gather up a cargo of ambergris 
 That grows in a cave on the amber trees 
 Where the medicine men, all fine M. D.'s, 
 For the sake of the usual medical fees. 
 Crawl in by night on their hands and knees 
 In a strictly ethical manner to seize 
 The amber fruit that is used to grease 
 The Itching palm In Shekel's Disease, — 
 On a long long v'yage, as busy as bees, 
 Never stopping for a moment to take our ease. 
 Never changing our course, except when the breeze 
 Took to blowing to windward, — we had slipped 
 by degrees 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE 99 
 
 Down the oozy slopes of the Hebrides, 
 
 And passed through the locks of the Florida Keys, 
 
 Which in getting through was a rather tight 
 
 squeeze, 
 But danger is nothing to men like these, 
 When suddenly the lookout, a Portuguese 
 Who had better been below a-shelling peas, 
 Shrieked out, 'They are coming! By twos and 
 
 threes ! 
 On the starboard bow! We are lost! — " 
 
 "We're lost! we're lost! we're lost!" came a terrible 
 cry from the forward part of the ship, as if in echo of 
 Mr. Mizzen's song. "We're lost! The dippers! The 
 dippers!" 
 
 Everyone jumped up, even Aunt Amanda. The 
 Cabin-boy whispered in Freddie's ear, in great excite- 
 ment, "N-n-n-now you'll s-see!" 
 
 A man came running down the deck, followed by all 
 the skippers and mates. As he halted before Mr. Miz- 
 zen, he was evidently the Cook, by the white cook's 
 cap he wore on his head. He took off his cap and 
 wiped his forehead with his hand. He was in a state 
 of mixed alarm and anger. 
 
 "We're lost!" he cried, and actually tore his hair 
 with his hands. "It's that rascally Cabin-boy! The 
 dippers is gone! Every last one of them! And the 
 ship leakln' by the barrelful ! Let me get at that 
 boy once, and I'll learn him ! Fryin' on a slow fire 
 would be too good for him ! Swore he'd get even, he 
 did, and now he's gone and done it! Stole all the 
 dippers — he's the one that done it, you can bet your last 
 biscuit! There ain't a dipper left in the ship, and the 
 water pourin' in by the barrelful ! I just found it out, 
 while them lazy skippers and mates was lying around 
 doing nothing! Gimme one sea-cook for all the skip- 
 
100 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 pers on the ocean, that's what I say! Ever7 last 
 dipper gone ! gone ! We're lost!" 
 
 Everyone looked around for the Cabin-boy. He 
 was nowhere to be seen, but his laugh was heard 
 overhead, and his face was then seen looking down 
 from the rigging just above. 
 
 "I've d-d-d-done it," he cried, shrieking with laugh- 
 ter. "I'm even with you n-n-n-n-now! M-m-m-m-miz- 
 zen he 1-1-1-learned the parrot to m-m-m-mock me, he 
 did, and Cook he b-b-b-basted me In the g-g-g-galley 
 all the t-t-t-t-time, and now I'm e-e-e-even with all of 
 'em. They ain't g-g-g-going to t-t-t-torment me no 
 m-m-m-m-more ! I stole the dippers and th-th-th-threw 
 'em overboard, every last one of 'em, and n-n-n-now 
 you're g-g-g-goIng to s-s-sink, sink, si-\-i-ink, d-d-d-down, 
 down, d-d-d-down, to the bottom of the — bottom of 
 the s-s-s-seaf* 
 
 He laughed louder than before, and the angry Cook 
 sprang forward to climb up after him, but just then 
 the ship gave a violent lurch backwards, nearly upset- 
 ting everyone, and settled down by the stern, so that 
 that end of the boat was completely under water. 
 
 Aunt Amanda screamed. Toby and Mr. Punch 
 came to her at once and supported her on each side. 
 There was a great hubbub. Everyone tried to speak 
 at once. Freddie felt his hand grasped in the strong 
 hand of Mr. Toby, and he began to feel somewhat 
 less afraid. Over the hubbub could be heard the Cabin- 
 boy's wild laugh. 
 
 "Everybody quiet!" shouted Mr. MIzzen. "We 
 must think what we had better do." 
 
 "Yes, yes," cried a number of voices. "What are 
 we going to do?" 
 
 "I wish," said Mr. Mizzen, thoughtfully, "I wish 
 we had thought to bring a rowboat with us." 
 
 "What!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Do you mean to tell 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE loi 
 
 me that you came away on this long journey without 
 an extra boat?" 
 
 "We didn't think of it," said Mr. Mizzen. "We 
 had plenty of dippers, and we never thought of any- 
 body's throwing them overboard." 
 
 "No! noV^ cried all the skippers and mates togeth- 
 er. "We never thought of that!" 
 
 "Then bring out the life-preservers at once!" said 
 Aunt Amanda. "And be quick about it!" 
 
 "We haven't any," said Mr. Mizzen. "What would 
 have been the use of life-preservers if the dippers were 
 all on board? We never thought we would need 
 them." 
 
 "No! no!" cried all the skippers and mates together. 
 "We never thought of that!" 
 
 "Then think of something now," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "Don't you see the ship's settling deeper in the water?" 
 
 The ship was In fact deeper in the water. It was 
 sinking rapidly. The deck began to list so much to- 
 wards the stern that it was difficult to stand on it. The 
 ship was making no headway whatever. The breeze 
 was even lighter than before, and the sails were hang- 
 ing limp. It would have taken a stiff wind indeed to 
 have moved that water-logged boat; and it lay as if 
 moored to a float, going up and down heavily in the 
 long swell. 
 
 "Do you — er — think," said the Old Codger with 
 the Wooden Leg, "that we are in— er — danger?" 
 
 "Danger!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Something must 
 be done ! Are you going to let us drown without turn- 
 ing a hand?" 
 
 "There's only one thing to do," said Mr. Mizzen, 
 "and I don't know whether it will work or not; but 
 we can try it. Boys, bring up all the mattresses from 
 the cabins, and a coil of rope ! Look alive, now!" 
 
 The skippers and mates ran off in great haste and 
 
102 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 disappeared down the hatchways. In a few minutes 
 they had laid on the deck a great pile of mattresses. 
 While this was being done, Aunt Amanda, whose bon- 
 net and shawl had been brought to her by one of the 
 men, tied her bonnet-strings under her chin and put her 
 shawl about her shoulders, in readiness for departure. 
 
 "Now then," said Mr. Mizzen, "lash the mattresses 
 together." 
 
 The men proved themselves very handy with ropes. 
 With Mr. Mizzen's help, they lashed together securely 
 a good number of the mattresses, and the first result 
 of their work was a mattress raft some fifteen feet 
 square, and some four or five feet thick. A supply 
 of oil-cloth was found in the store-room, and this was 
 bound by ropes all over and under and around the raft. 
 
 "I don't know whether it will do," said Mr. Mizzen, 
 "but anyway there's nothing else that will do. Now, 
 lads, over the side with her!" 
 
 All the men lent a hand, and the mattress raft was 
 hoisted over the side and on to the water. To the sat- 
 isfaction of everyone, it floated there quietly and eas- 
 ily, with its top well above the surface of the sea. 
 
 "Lucky it's a smooth sea," said Mr. Mizzen. "We 
 ought to be pleased with the state of the weather; 
 couldn't be better; I feel quite joyful about it." 
 
 "Oh, you do," said Aunt Amanda. "Well, I don't 
 feel joyful about It. What next?" 
 
 "Put the provisions aboard," said the Able Seaman; 
 whereupon some of the men placed on the raft a small 
 barrel of water and some tins of meat, soup, biscuit, 
 and other things. 
 
 "If you please," said Mr. Mizzen, when this had 
 been done, "I think the passengers had better get 
 aboard. When you're aboard, we'll make another raft 
 for ourselves. Are you ready?" 
 
 The passengers were helped aboard the raft, one 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE 103 
 
 after another. Although the raft bobbed up and down 
 on the swell, It was not a difficult matter for the men 
 and the boy to get on, for it was held fast against the 
 side of the ship at a point where it was about even 
 with the deck-rail. Freddie gave a good spring, and 
 Vv^as, on in no time; Mr. Hanlon, who did not seem 
 in the least uneasy, got aboard with the agility of a 
 cat; there was no trouble with anyone except Aunt 
 Amanda, whose lameness impeded her movements a 
 good deal. 
 
 As the Sly Old Fox, with his high silk hat on his 
 head, was about to step over the side, he turned and 
 said: 
 
 **I feel it my duty, Mr. Mizzen, to register a com- 
 plaint against the outrageous treatment to which we 
 are being subjected. I submit under protest, sir; under 
 protest. If I had for one moment imagined — " 
 
 "Oh bosh," said Toby. *'Push him over, Mizzen." 
 And the Siy Old Fox was In fact somewhat rudely 
 pushed over on to the raft. 
 
 None of the others made any objection. Mr. Punch, 
 who usually talked a good deal, was noticeably silent; 
 and when Toby offered him a hand to help him over, 
 he said stiffly: 
 
 "Hi thank you sir, but I do not require any hasslst- 
 ance." 
 
 When the Churchwarden took his seat in the mid- 
 dle of the raft, it went down alarmingly; but nothing 
 happened, and when the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg was aboard, the party was complete. All the 
 others sat around the Churchwarden, as close as they 
 could huddle. It was evident that the raft would float 
 them, at least until it should become water-logged, or 
 a gale of wind should blow. The men on the ship 
 now let go of the raft, and proceeded to lash together 
 
104 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 the remaining mattresses for themselves. The raft 
 floated quietly away from the ship. 
 
 Aunt Amanda's arm was about Freddie. He did 
 not feel, however, that he needed her protection. He 
 had already forgotten his first alarm, and he was feel- 
 ing most of all what an extraordinary adventure it 
 was that had befallen him; the men from the ship 
 would be nearby on the other rafts, the sea was calm, 
 the air was warm, and they would probably be picked 
 up by some vessel before the food gave out. He sup- 
 posed there were very few boys who had ever sailed 
 the open sea on a mattress. 
 
 "Well, Freddie," said Mr. Toby, as the raft con- 
 tinued to float slowly away from the ship, "what do 
 you think of this, eh? Have you got the map of Cor- 
 rection Island with you?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, I have. It's in my pocket." 
 
 "Good ! Don't lose it. We may get to the Island 
 after all, some day; you never can tell. By the way, 
 Warden, have you got your Odour of Sanctity?" 
 
 "Safe in my pocket," said the Churchwarden. "What 
 about you? Have you got the Chinaman's head?" 
 
 "What? Me? The Chinaman's head? Oh merciful 
 fathers! I clean forgot it!" cried Toby. "Blamed if 
 I didn't leave it In my room on the ship ! Never 
 thought about it once ! If that don't beat all ! What'll 
 we do? We can't get back! We're floating away! 
 Great jumping Joan! What'll we do?" 
 
 "Well!" gasped Aunt Amanda. "Won't you never 
 get a head on your shoulders, you Toby Littleback? 
 Can't you never remember anything? I declare. Toby 
 Littleback, you are the most addlepated, exasperat- 
 ing, — Oh dear, we'd better hail the ship, quick!" 
 
 The party on the raft set up a loud cry, which was 
 answered from the ship. 
 
 "The Chinaman's head!" shouted Toby. "On the 
 
THE CABIN-BOY'S REVENGE 105 
 
 dresser in my cabin! I forgot it! Run and get it! 
 Quick! We're floating away!" 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir!" came a voice from the ship. 
 
 The company on the raft waited anxiously. In a 
 very few moments, which seemed like a great many, 
 a hail came from the side of the ship, and they could 
 see the Cabin-boy standing at a point of the deck 
 where It was now sloped high out of the water, and 
 he was holding the Chinaman's head aloft in both 
 hands, as if about to throw it towards the raft. 
 
 "Don't throw it!" shouted Toby. "Tie a rope tO' 
 it first!" 
 
 But he was too late. The Cabin-boy raised the 
 Chinaman's head higher, swinging his body sideways, 
 and as a dark figure came up behind him and tried 
 to seize his arm, he gave a mighty heave and toss, and 
 sent the Chinaman's head flying through the air in the 
 direction of the raft. 
 
 For a second it glistened in the moonlight. In an- 
 other second it descended towards the raft, and almost 
 reached it; but not quite; It came down within five 
 feet of it, and fell like a shot plump Into the ocean. 
 It splashed, and that was all. The Chinaman's head 
 was gone. 
 
 A wail went up from the company on the raft at 
 this terrible disaster. How terrible It really was they 
 did not even yet understand, but they were soon to 
 learn. Freddie was almost ready to burst into tears. 
 Aunt Amanda was so exasperated that she could scarce- 
 ly speak. The others seemed to be stupefied. 
 
 "Oh! oh! oh!" cried Aunt Amanda. "You Toby, 
 you ! Now you've done it for good. Why, why, why 
 can't you never remember anything? It's your fault, 
 and don't you never try to lay it to .that Cabin-boy! 
 And now what'll we do if we ever get separated from 
 Mr. MIzzen? How'll we ever call him up to help 
 
io6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 us out of trouble if v/e get into it? Here's a pretty 
 kettle of fish, now ain't it? I hope and pray we can 
 stick close to Mr. Mizzen until we're all safe and — " 
 
 "Look there!" cried Mr. Punch. "Bless me heyes, 
 what do I see? Look at the ship!" 
 
 It was high time to look at the ship. No sooner 
 had the Chinaman's head disappeared into the depths 
 of the ocean, than a change began to come over the 
 ship. It grew paler and thinner in the moonlight. The 
 green shutters along the side faded away one by one. 
 The dark hull became lighter; the sails grew so thin 
 that at last the watchers could see the stars shining 
 through them. The whole ship seemed to waver and 
 dissolve into a pale mist. It did not sink; no. the bow 
 was still high out of the water, and all the masts 
 and sails were visible. It simply faded away where it 
 stood. 
 
 As it was becoming more and more vague, the voice 
 of Marmaduke the parrot came across the water out 
 of the rigging; a far-away voice, which grew fainter 
 and fainter as the ship grew dimmer, until it died away 
 as if in the distance. 
 
 "Th-th-th-three ch-ch-cheers !" it said. _ "Th-th-th- 
 three ch-ch-cheers for 1-1-1-1-liver and onions — th-th- 
 three ch-ch-cheers — 1-1-1-liver — and — " 
 
 As Marmaduke's voice died away, the ship dis- 
 solved like a pale ghost and vanished. The Sieve 
 was gone. 
 
 The party of adventurers sat on their mattress raft 
 in the midst of the wide ocean, with never a ship to 
 be seen; the long sea-swell rolled placidly over the 
 place where their ship had been. They sat huddled 
 together in silence around the Churchwarden, too hor- 
 rified to speak a word. 
 
 The moon glistened on the Sly Old Codger's high 
 silk hat. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE MATTRESSES 
 
 "X WISH," said Aunt Amanda, "that I had brought 
 
 I some sewing with me. I don't suppose I could 
 "*" sew very well by moonlight on a mattress in 
 the middle of the ocean, but I don't believe this would 
 have happened if I'd had my sewing with me." 
 
 "Hi carn't see 'ow that would 'ave — " began Mr- 
 Punch. 
 
 "Now look here," said Toby. "We've got to sit 
 in the middle of this here raft, or else she'll tilt over. 
 Why don't you sit in the middle. Warden?" 
 
 "I am sitting in the middle," said the Churchwar- 
 den. "I wonder what the Vestry would say if they 
 could—" 
 
 "I wish it distinctly understood," said the Sly Old 
 Fox, "that I am here under protest. If I had for one 
 moment imagined — " 
 
 "Now listen to me," said Aunt Amanda. "There's 
 got to be a captain of this expedition, and as there's 
 nobody here but a lot of helpless men-creatures, I 
 suppose I've got to be the captain myself. All those 
 in favor say aye. I'm elected. That's done. Warden, 
 sit a little bit over to the right." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir; ay, ay, ma'am; certainly," said the 
 Warden. 
 
 "Now everybody sit up close to the Warden," said 
 Aunt Amanda. "There. Is the raft balanced now?" 
 
 107 
 
io8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," said the Churchwarden. "I mean, 
 ay, ay, ma'am." 
 
 "Then my orders as captain is, to sit still and see 
 what's going to happen," 
 
 Nothing happened. Freddie grew sleepy, and leaned 
 his head against Aunt Amanda's shoulder. As he was 
 falling off to sleep, a slim dark object rose from the 
 sea near by and whirred across the ocean and plopped 
 into the water. 
 
 "Bless me heyes," said Mr. Punch, "hit's a flying- 
 fish, as ever was." 
 
 "Is it, really?" said Freddie. "Did he really fly?" 
 
 "How wonderful is nature!" said the Sly Old Cod- 
 ger. "Such an opportunity to improve the mind! My 
 little friend, I trust you will profit by what you have 
 seen. It is very educational; very educational indeed." 
 
 "Ahem!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg. "What do you suppose — er — ahem! — if you 
 will pardon me — what are those little things sparkling 
 out there on the surface of the water?" 
 
 "Hit's a school of sardines!" said Mr. Punch. "Hi 
 know them wery well; when I was a lad — " 
 
 "There must be millions of them," said Freddie. 
 "Just look!" 
 
 The tiny fish were leaping by thousands on the 
 surface of the water, immediately in the path of moon- 
 light; and they flashed and sparkled as they leaped. 
 
 "Hi believe there's a great fish arfter them," said 
 Mr. Punch. 
 
 "Maybe a whole regiment of big fish," said Toby. 
 "By crackey, there's one now!" 
 
 As he spoke, a black fin cut the water near the 
 sardines, and they became more agitated than ever; 
 from the size of the fin, it must have been a very great 
 fish indeed; and along the upper edge of the fin was 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE MATTRESSES 109 
 
 a row of long sharp saw-teeth, looking big and strong 
 enough to have sawed through a wooden plank. 
 
 "There's another one!" cried Freddie. 
 
 "And another! and another!" cried Aunt Amanda. 
 
 There must have been five or six of the great fish. 
 
 "I hope they won't come near this boat," said Toby. 
 "One of 'em would just about turn us upside down 
 if he struck us." 
 
 "Mercy!" said Aunt Amanda. "Don't say such a 
 terrible thing." 
 
 At that moment a great round black back appeared 
 above the surface of the water, some hundred yards 
 or so away, and in another moment a great black blunt 
 head joined itself to the back, and a spout of white 
 vapor rose from the head. 
 
 "A whale !" cried several voices at once. 
 
 "Oh!" said Aunt Amanda. "Suppose he should 
 come this way?" 
 
 The five or six fins of the great fish near the sar- 
 dines now disappeared. The whale threw up his enor- 
 mous tail, and went down head first beneath the water. 
 Almost immediately, one of the saw-toothed fins re- 
 appeared, much nearer the raft than before. 
 
 "Merciful heavens !" cried Aunt Amanda. "He's 
 coming towards us! Oh dear!" 
 
 The great fish was in fact evidently making straight 
 towards the raft. Freddie clutched Aunt Amanda's 
 arm., The fin cut the water at a high speed; it dis- 
 appeared at times, but on each reappearance it was 
 still pointed towards the raft. 
 
 "He's nearly on us!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Hold 
 on tight, Freddie!" 
 
 The great fish came on with a rush, and as he 
 reached the raft struck it with his back and slid under 
 it. There was a tremendous bump, which nearly sent 
 
no THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 the company flat; then there was a rubbing under the 
 raft, and everything was quiet again. 
 
 "He's gone," said Toby. 
 
 "No, 'e isn't," said Mr. Punch. "Look at 'Is tail!" 
 
 A great tail could be seen beyond the edge of the 
 raft, just below the surface of the water. It thrashed 
 about and churned up the water violently for a few 
 seconds, and then waved back and forth quietly; but 
 it did not disappear. 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "he's stuck! His fin has 
 got stuck into the bottom of the raft! He's got the 
 whole kit and bilin' of us on his back!" 
 
 "Mercy on us!'*' said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Is it really true?" said Freddie. 
 
 "On due consideration," said the Churchwarden, "I 
 think Toby's right." 
 
 "Hi believe 'e is!" said Mr. Punch. "Blimy If I 
 ever rode on the back of a fish before ! Now 'e's got 
 us on 'is back, what's 'e going to do with us?" 
 
 "We're moving!" cried Freddie. 
 
 "So we are!" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Blamed if we aint," said Toby. 
 
 The mattress craft was in fact moving; very slowly, 
 indeed, but still moving; and it was moving in the 
 opposite direction to the fish's tail, which could be seen 
 now and then under the water, waving back and forth 
 like the tail of a swimming fish. 
 
 "If this don't beat all," said Toby. "That fish down 
 there has certainly got his fin hooked into our mat- 
 tress, and he's swimming along with us on top of him. 
 I've seen a snail crawlin' with his shell on top of him, 
 but a fish with a load of mattresses and live-stock is 
 a new thing to me !" 
 
 "I'm the captain," said Aunt Amanda, "and my 
 orders is to sit as still as you can and see where he's 
 taking us to." 
 
THE CRUISE OF THE MATTRESSES iii 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," said the Churchwarden. "I mean, 
 
 ay, ay, ma'am." 
 
 The party huddled on top of the mattresses sat 
 as still as mice, hardly daring to breathe. Their little 
 craft continued to move gently through the water. 
 They expected each moment that the fish would free 
 himself, but evidently hisi fin had embedded itself so 
 firmly in one of the bottom mattresses that he could 
 not get loose; he went on swimming with his load 
 on his back. 
 
 Hour after hour they waited to feel their craft stop; 
 but hour after hour it moved gently and slowly across 
 the surface of the sea. They settled themselves more 
 comfortably against each other, and spoke very little. 
 No one noticed that their raft was now much lower 
 in the water. 
 
 The air was warm, the moonlight and the silence 
 were extremely soothing, and the motion of the raft 
 was gentle and languorous. Freddie's head sank 
 against Aunt Amanda's shoulder, and his eyes closed; 
 and in another moment he was asleep. Aunt Amanda 
 herself nodded, and her eyesi closed; she was asleep 
 too. Toby yawned, and leaned heavily against the Sly 
 Old Codger; his eyes closed, and — in short, every eye 
 closed, and every frame relaxed heavily against its 
 neighbor, and at last, doubled over in a closely hud- 
 dled group in the exact center of their mattresses, the 
 whole party slept; each and every one. 
 
 The raft went on steadily and quietly through the 
 water, the moon glittered on the sea, the raft settled 
 deeper and deeper, and there was absolute silence on 
 the ocean, except for a slight groan which came reg- 
 ularly and gently from the nose of the Churchwarden. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 A FALL IN THE DARK 
 
 REDDIE was the first to be awake in the 
 morning. He was cramped and stiff. He 
 sat up straight, rubbed his eyes, and stretched 
 his arms. He looked abroad, and the sight which 
 met him caused him to grasp Aunt Amanda's hand 
 in excitement, 
 
 "Land!" he cried, so loud that everyone awoke. 
 
 "Blamed if it ain't," said Toby, and put on his 
 white derby hat, considering that he had thereby 
 dressed himself for the day. 
 
 All the others sat bolt upright, and stared across 
 the smooth blue sea, sparkling in the sunlight. 
 
 Not more than a quarter of a mile away rose a 
 tall black cliff straight up out of the water. It stretched 
 away on either hand for miles and miles, and came 
 to an end in the ocean at the right hand and the left, 
 so that it was probably the side of an Island. The 
 sea rolled up and down at the foot of the cliff, making 
 a beautiful white splash against the rocks. 
 
 "But how on earth," saidi Aunt Amanda, "are we 
 ever to get ashore on such a place as that?" 
 
 "We're moving towards it," said Freddie. 
 
 "Blamed if we ain't," said Toby. "We'll soon know 
 whether we can get ashore or not." 
 
 They moved very slowly, and it was a long time 
 before they came close enough to the cliff to see what 
 their chances of a landing might be. They floated at 
 last within two or three hundred yards of the cliff. 
 
 112 
 
A FALL IN THE DARK 1 1 3 
 
 It was very dangerous looking; the waves rolled over 
 huge black rocks at its foot and broke in white foam 
 against its side; it seemed the last place in the world 
 for a landing. 
 
 A great swell rolled in from the sea and brought 
 them nearer the breakers, 
 
 "My word!" cried Mr. Punch, excitedly. "There's 
 a harch!" 
 
 "A what?" said Toby. 
 
 "See!" said Aunt Amanda. "There's a little arch- 
 way in the rock, like the mouth of a cave, over there 
 to the right! Don't you see? With the water pour- 
 ing in ! Over there !" 
 
 It was true. There was an archway, like the mouth 
 of a cave; and into this the water was streaming in a 
 strong current, making a kind of passage-way, more 
 or less smooth, through the breakers. 
 
 "Yes!" said Freddie. "And I believe we're headed 
 towards it!" 
 
 Their course changed a little to the right, as if the 
 fish who was piloting them had now taken a correct 
 bearing. They found themselves in a passage through 
 the breakers where the water swirled in towards the 
 arch. They were caught in this current and were swept 
 to a point close under the towering black rocks, and 
 In another moment they were directly before the open- 
 ing. The current seized the raft as if with strong 
 hands and drew it In. 
 
 They were in a cavern, narrow and high, whose in- 
 terior was lost in darkness. The current carried them 
 onward into the dark. The roar of the breakers 
 suddenly ceased, and as they looked behind them the 
 archway was no more than a speck of light. Their 
 raft turned slightly to the left, and at that moment 
 the speck of light disappeared, as if they had turned 
 
114 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 a corner; and the darkness became so black that no 
 one could see even the person sitting next to him. 
 
 "I wonder," said Toby, "if there are any matches 
 and candles on board this boat. I'm going to see." 
 
 He was silent for a while, and it was evident from 
 the tilting of the raft that he had moved his position. 
 Finally he said "Ah!" and a match spluttered and 
 went out in the breeze which was blowing past them; 
 but after it went out there remained a glimmer, and 
 Toby was holding up a lighted candle, and shielding it 
 from the draught with his hand. 
 
 "Found 'em in the tin with the biscuits," said Toby. 
 
 He held the candle on high so that its little beam 
 searched out the darkness in front and on both sides. 
 
 They were in a narrow passage-way. On each side 
 was a wall of solid rock, not ten feet beyond the edge 
 of the raft. How high the wall was they could not 
 tell, for it was lost in the darkness overhead. They 
 were slipping along a narrow alley-way of water. 
 Toby held the candle higher, and everyone peered Into 
 the darkness ahead; but it was Impossible to see more 
 than a few yards. 
 
 "I wish It distinctly understood," said the Sly Old 
 Codger, "that I am here under — " 
 
 "Never mind," said Aunt Amanda, "my orders as 
 captain is, to say nothing and wait and see what will 
 happen." 
 
 The raft turned a corner to the right, and slipped on 
 silently in that direction for a long distance, probably 
 for more than a mile. Then the raft turned again, this 
 time to the left; and after about ten minutes longer 
 Toby suddenly said, "S-sh ! What's that?" They 
 all listened, and heard afar off a sound as of rushing 
 water, very faint, but unmistakable. 
 
 "Er — excuse me," said the Old Codger with the 
 
A FALL IN THE DARK 1 1 5 
 
 Wooden Leg. "Do you think — -ahem! — rthere is any — 
 er — dangerT' 
 
 "I don't like it," said Aunt Amanda. "I don't 
 think it's safe in here." 
 
 "I think we are lower in the water," said Freddie. 
 
 "So we are," said Toby. "The water's coming up 
 over the top now, and if we don't get on dry land 
 soon, we'll all be sitting in a puddle." 
 
 In spite of its being water-logged and lower in 
 the water, the raft was beginning to go faster, for the 
 current had suddenly become swifter. The wind blew 
 stronger; it swept through the narrow passage-way 
 so briskly that Toby put his hat over the candle; but 
 he was too late; the light wavered and went out. 
 A groan went up from the company. 
 
 "I can hear that rushing sound plainer," said Aunt 
 Amanda. 
 
 "Hit's wery like a water-fall," said Mr. Punch. 
 
 "I wish it understood," said the Sly Old Fox, "dis- 
 tinctly understood, that I am here under protest. If 
 I had eve-r for one moment imagined — " 
 
 "0-o-oh!" screamed Aunt Amanda. "We're going 
 — faster — o-o-oh !" 
 
 She threw her arm around Freddie and held him 
 tight. The current suddenly became swifter; the raft, 
 almost under water, was leaping forward at a fright- 
 ful speed. Directly ahead of them, growing louder 
 and louder, was the roar of rushing water. 
 
 "Hold — on — tight, Freddie !" cried Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "We'll all be done for," shouted Toby, "in an- 
 other — minute, I reckon, — hold — on — tight!" 
 
 As Toby said this, the raft almost galloped. The 
 roar of falling water burst on them from close ahead. 
 The raft seemed to rise up and then to sink down. 
 Its nose slanted downward. The roar of falling 
 water was all about them. Aunt Amanda screamed, 
 
ii6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 but no one could hear her. The raft paused and 
 teetered for an instant; then it pointed downward, 
 almost straight, and the whole party, the raft, and 
 the fish under the raft, plunged downward through 
 the darkness on a cascade of tumbling water; down, 
 down, down; the raft shot from under and the pas- 
 sengers shot off; in a twinkling they were going down 
 the water-fall on their backs. Would they never 
 reach the bottom? There did not seem to be any 
 bottom; but — 
 
 In another moment, there were Aunt Amanda and 
 Freddie (her arm still about him) standing on their 
 feet in about twenty-four inches of quiet water on a 
 solid bottom. Dark forms appeared, one after an- 
 other, beside them, and almost at once all the party 
 were standing together in a group, in about two feet 
 of quiet water, on a solid bottom. 
 
 "I fear," said the voice of the Sly Old Codger, 
 "that I have lost my hat." 
 
 They could see that they were in a great chamber, 
 whose walls they could make out dimly on each side. 
 They could not see the top of the water-fall, but 
 they could see its lower part very plainly. Through 
 the tumbling water of the fall, near the bottom, sun- 
 light was shining. Behind the water was an opening 
 some six feet high, and as the water fell across this 
 opening the sunlight from without shone through it, 
 making it glow with green and sparkle with white. 
 The water-fall hung over this opening like a curtain. 
 
 "Well," said Aunt Amanda, "Tm pretty near 
 drowned, and my clothes are a sight to behold. But 
 Tm the captain of this expedition, and my orders is, 
 that we go ashore." 
 
 The water proved to be shallow all about them, and 
 they waded to a strip of dry ground beside the 
 wall which rose at their left as they faced the fall. 
 
A FALL IN THE DARK 1 1 7 
 
 Aunt Amanda, whose cane was gone, was assisted 
 by Mr. Toby and Mr. Punch. 
 
 "Blamed if my hat ain't gone too," said Toby. 
 "She was a good hat, I'll have to say that for her." 
 
 The party walked along the edge of the water, and 
 came to the end wall of the chamber, opposite the 
 fall. There lay the wreck of the raft, with the tail 
 of the great fish sticking out from beneath. 
 
 "I fear," said the Sly Old Codger, "that the faith- 
 ful creature has departed this life." 
 
 "He's dead as a doornail," said Toby. 
 
 "Poor thing," said Aunt Amanda. "Anyway, my 
 orders is to explore this cavern, and see what we 
 can find." 
 
 At this end of the cavern the water was slipping 
 away under the wall, and this outlet explained why 
 the water inside remained so shallow. The party com- 
 mented on it, and then walked along the side wall 
 towards the other end where the fall was. When they 
 were midway along this wall, a cry from Toby, who 
 had left Aunt Amanda to the care of Mr. Punch, 
 startled the others. 
 
 "What's this?" he cried. "Look here!" 
 
 He was stooping over something, and as the others 
 gathered round, they saw that he was stooping over 
 a pile of small square boxes, standing in several long 
 rows along the wall. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon lifted one of the boxes, with a great 
 effort, and shook it. A jingling sound came from 
 within. 
 
 "Aha!" said the Sly Old Fox. "That beautiful 
 music! It is the sound, dear friends, the sound of— 
 of Money!" 
 
 "Bless my soul!" cried Aunt Amanda. "Is it?" 
 
 "My opinion is," said the Churchwarden, "that 
 there is gold in that box." 
 
Ti8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Then open It!" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon shook his head. The box was locked 
 tight, and It was bound with Iron bands. All the 
 boxes were locked, and they were all bound with Iron, 
 bands. 
 
 "Come along this way," said Toby. "There's 
 something more here." 
 
 Further along the wall, leaning against it, was a 
 row of large coffee-sacks, each bound around the 
 mouth by strong twine. One of these sacks Mr. Han- 
 lon quickly opened. He tilted it over and poured out 
 Its contents on the ground. The party of onlookers 
 gasped with astonishment. 
 
 From the mouth of the bag fell pearl necklaces; 
 diamond rings; ruby rings; emerald rings; all kinds 
 of rings; gold bracelets and chains; silver forks and 
 spoons; gold toothpicks; gold cups; silver vases; and 
 a great variety of other things of the same sort. 
 
 It was a moment or two before anyone spoke. Then 
 the Churchwarden said, "It's my opinion that this is 
 pirates' treasure." 
 
 "Mercy on us !" said Aunt Amanda. "And they may 
 be In here on us any minute!" 
 
 Mr. Hanlon opened others of the bags. Each was 
 filled with rare and costly articles of gold, silver, and 
 precious stones. 
 
 "Do you think it's really pirates?" said Freddie, In 
 an awed whisper. 
 
 "Not a doubt of it!" said Toby, in a voice much 
 lower than before. "Look at this !" 
 
 He pointed to a placard on the wall above the sacks. 
 The light was almost too dim for reading, but the writ- 
 ing on the placard was very large, and Toby, by stand- 
 ing on one of the bags, was able to make It out. He 
 read it aloud. 
 
A FALL IN THE DARK 1 1 9 
 
 "Beware ! Hands Off ! Whoever Shall Touch 
 It He Shall Die by the Hand of Lingo! 
 With a Knife in the Throat ! Long Live 
 King James and the Jolly Roger !" 
 
 "There a skull and cross-bones under it," said Toby. 
 "Pirates, as sure as you're born." 
 
 "We'd better be getting away from here," said Aunt 
 Amanda. 
 
 "Better not speak so loud," said Toby. "How are 
 we to ^?" 
 
 "S-sh!" said the Old Codger with the Wooden Leg, 
 in a frightened whisper. "Excuse me — look — I saw 
 something under the water-fall. What's that?" 
 
 "Stand close back against the wall," whispered Toby, 
 "and don't speak a word." 
 
 They crowded back against the wall, alongside of 
 the treasure, and looked towards the water-fall. 
 
 A dark object was rising from the shallow water at 
 the foot of the fall. As they watched, another dark 
 object appeared to come through from under the fall 
 and apparently from behind it; and this object rose also 
 from the shallow water near the foot of the fall, and 
 took its place beside the other. One after another, five 
 more of these dark objects came from under the fall 
 and apparently from behind it, and stood upright in 
 the shallow water. 
 
 There were now seven in all. They moved In a group 
 towards the shore. Each of them had two legs, and 
 each was muffled from top to toe in a single loose gar- 
 ment with, baggy legs; they walked somewhat like a 
 company of bears. They stood on the dry ground, 
 and one of them proceeded to take off the loose gar- 
 ment with which he was muffled, while the others as- 
 sisted him with evident deference. 
 
 First came off a close hood which covered his head, 
 cheeks, and neck. As the watchers by the wall saw his 
 
120 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 head, they held their breath in terror, and Aunt 
 Amanda clutched Freddie's arm. Around the head 
 was a tight-fitting kerchief, knotted behind; in his ears 
 were great round ear-rings; and gripped between his 
 teeth was a long pointed knife. 
 
 Aunt Amanda gave a sign as if she was about to 
 scream, but Toby quickly put his hand over her mouth. 
 
 As the man with the ear-rings got himself out of the 
 legs of his loose garment, the party by the wall saw 
 that he was a short and burly man, of a ferocious 
 aspect. In a sash which he wore was stuck on one side 
 a cutlass, and on the other a long pistol. He wore no 
 coat, and his shirt was open at the throat. His arms 
 showed from the elbows down, and they were thick 
 with muscles. His trousers were knee breeches, buckled 
 just below the knee, and he was very bow-legged; his 
 calves were big and knotted. 
 
 When his outer covering had been removed, it was 
 plain that he was perfectly dry from head to foot, 
 except for water on his face and hands; and while the 
 others were taking off their coverings, he withdrew 
 with one hand the knife from between his teeth, and 
 with the other hand wiped the water from his eyes and 
 face. He then stuck the knife in his sash, waved his 
 hands somewhat daintily In the air as if to dry them, 
 took from his breeches pocket a large white handker- 
 chief, completed with this handkerchief the drying of 
 his face and hands, examined his finger-nails carefully, 
 blew on them, and proceeded to polish them delicately 
 with his pocket-handkerchief, at the same time swearing 
 two dreadful oaths. In a low tone of voice, at the six 
 men who were struggling with their coverings. When 
 these had been removed, the six appeared In much the 
 same style of dress as the first, and each bore a cutlass 
 and a pistol; but their clothing was much ruder than 
 his, and they had no ear-rings; Instead of sashes they 
 wore leather belts. 
 
A FALL IN THE DARK 121 
 
 "Kerchoo!" rang out a sneeze as sharp as a pistol- 
 shot, from the party by the wall, 
 
 "Dear me," said the Sly Old Codger, out loud, "I 
 do believe I'm catching cold." 
 
 At the sudden discharge of the sneeze, the seven men 
 jumped as if they had in fact been shot. Each one 
 snatched out his cutlass with his right hand and his 
 pistol with his left, and faced in the direction of the 
 sneeze. 
 
 "Confound your cold," whispered Toby fiercely to 
 the Sly Old Codger, "now we're done for." 
 
 The seven men with their cutlasses and pistols, with 
 the ear-ringed man in the lead, tiptoed stealthily in the 
 direction of the sneeze. 
 
 As they came closer to the party who were crouched 
 against the wall, Aunt Amanda slipped down quietly 
 to the ground at Toby's feet. The captain of the ex- 
 pedition had fainted. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 CAPTAIN LINGO AND A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 
 
 THE MAN with the ear-rings muttered some- 
 thing in a fierce undertone to his six followers. 
 They spread out behind him in a wide line. 
 With a stealthy step they came forward noiselessly. 
 The party by the wall held their breath in terror. 
 Nearer and nearer came the seven men, still in perfect 
 silence. They reached the cowering company by the 
 wall, leveled their pistols at their breasts, held up their 
 cutlasses ready to strike, and looked at their leader for 
 the command to kill. 
 
 At this moment the man with the ear-rings observed 
 the form of Aunt Amanda on the ground. He stooped 
 down and examined her, and stood up again. Then he 
 eyed the company of travellers with a hard cold eye, 
 and spoke deliberately and in a low voice. His manner 
 of speech was somewhat stilted and precise, and scarcely 
 what might have been expected of a pirate. 
 
 "The ceremony," said he, "will be deferred for the 
 moment. I commend you meanwhile to perfect quiet- 
 ness; one movement, and the consequences may be fatal. 
 A hint is sufficient. I perceive here a lady in distress. 
 'Tis a monstrous pity, indeed. I regret that we were 
 unaware of the presence of a lady; had we known, we 
 should certainly have taken our measures more fittingly. 
 I crave your pardon. No one has yet accused Captain 
 Lingo of rudeness to a lady. Ketch, put up thy cutlass 
 and go straightH'ay to the pool and wet this pocket- 
 handkerchief. Be brisk, thou muddle-pated son of a 
 sea-cook! Haste!" 
 
 122 
 
A FINE PIFXE OF HEAD-WORK 1 23 
 
 The man called Ketch jumped as though he had been 
 stung, and took from Captain Lingo's hand a fine white 
 cambric handkerchief which the captain had produced 
 from his breeches pocket, and running to the water 
 moistened it and returned in great haste. 
 
 While this was going on, the poor captives were able 
 to examine their chief captor more carefully. They 
 remarked with surprise the fine quality of the handker- 
 chief which he had handed to his man, and they were 
 even more surprised to note the whiteness and fineness 
 of the linen of his shirt. His breeches were of blue 
 velvet, and his sash and the kerchief which bound his 
 head were of crimson silk. On the fingers of each hand 
 he wore three or four diamond rings, which sparkled 
 brilliantly in the half-darkness. His stockings were 
 plainly of silk, and the buckles at his knees and on his 
 shoes were of polished silver, outlined in diamonds. 
 His face was hard and cruel, but its unpleasantness may 
 have been due to a long scar which crossed his mouth 
 from his right cheek to his chin. When he smiled, as 
 he did in referring to the lady in distress, the scar gave 
 to his face a singularly evil expression. 
 
 Taking the wet handkerchief from Ketch's hand, he 
 knelt beside Aunt Amanda and bathed her face and 
 wrists, slapping her cheeks and temples smartly now 
 and then with the handkerchief, and changing her posi- 
 tion so that her head lay lower than her body. After 
 he had worked over her with much care for a few 
 moments, Aunt Amanda opened her eves. She was 
 staring at the frightful crooked smile of a strange man 
 with rings in his ears and a kerchief on his head. She 
 started up, bewildered. 
 
 "Where's Toby? Where am I? Who are you?" 
 
 ''Captain Lingo, ma'am," said the strange man, "at 
 your service." 
 
 "Let me up," said Aunt Amanda. She struggled to 
 her feet, rejecting the assistance offered by the ear- 
 
124 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 ring'd man, and stood facing him, her bedraggled bon- 
 net very much over her right ear. "Who are you?" 
 she said again. 
 
 "Your humble servant, ma'am," said the strange 
 man, smiling his crooked smile. "Captain Lingo, by 
 name. A gentleman adventurer of the high seas. 
 Owner of the treasure which you have discovered here 
 in our little retreat. Known here on the Spanish Main 
 as the Scourge of Ships, and loyal servant of his blessed 
 Majesty King James, whom the saints defend. Your 
 obedient humble servant to command." He made the 
 lady a very courtly bow. 
 
 Toby whispered into Freddie's ear. "He can't be 
 so terrible bad, not with all that polite way of talking. 
 Don't be afraid. We'll be all right with this pirate. 
 Who on earth Is King James?" 
 
 Aunt Amanda was also much relieved by the pirate's 
 polite address. 
 
 "As long as you are my obedient servant," said she, 
 "Fll thank you to help us to get out of here as soon 
 as possible. We didn't want to come In the first place, 
 and we are in a hurry to get out." 
 
 Captain Lingo laughed heartily. "They are In a 
 hurry to get out, lads," he said to his companions; and 
 at this they all laughed uproariously. 
 
 "I don't see anything to laugh at," said Aunt 
 Amanda. "If we don't get out of here soon, we'll 
 catch our death of cold." 
 
 This made Captain Lingo laugh more heartily than 
 before. "Ha! ha! ha! Their death of cold! That 
 would be a rare fine thing, but a bit too slow, lads, eh?" 
 And the other six laughed again, so that the walls of 
 the chamber echoed with their mirth. 
 
 "What do you mean by too slow?" said Aunt 
 Amanda. 
 
 "Madam," said Captain Lingo, *'we are a little 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 1 25 
 
 pressed for time. We really could not wait for you to 
 die of colds." 
 
 "What?" said Aunt Amanda faintly, her feeling of 
 confidence beginning to ooze away. "Do you mean to 
 
 say -?" 
 
 "Madam," said the pirate, seriously, "I will put it 
 to you plainly. Our treasure, which you have discov- 
 ered, has taken a great deal of hard work to accumu- 
 late. We really couldn't bear to lose it. The people 
 of this island, and a great many other people besides, 
 have been trying for many years to find it. You have 
 not only found it, but you have even gone so far as to 
 open certain of our bags, in spite of the warning posted 
 above 3^our heads. Now picture to yourselves, dear 
 madam and gentlemen, what consequences would cer- 
 tainly ensue if you were to leave — here — ahem ! — 
 alive." 
 
 "Oh!" gasped Aunt Amanda. "Leave — here — 
 alive!" 
 
 "All the fruits of our industry would be lost, and 
 our own safety would be imperilled. You will readily 
 see that, of course. 'Tis a pity so many will have to 
 die at once, for it will mess up the place very badly, 
 and I always endeavor to be neat. But why, why did 
 so many of you come at once? Couldn't you have 
 come, say two at a time? It would have made so much 
 less trouble." 
 
 "Ho !" said Mr. Punch. "Hif we 'ad only stopped 
 at 'ome, hall of us !" 
 
 "However, I do not wish you to feel too keenly the 
 trouble you are putting us to; my brave lads will cheer- 
 fully put up with the inconvenience, though I must 
 confess the amount of blood will be quite unusual, and 
 so many bodies will be troublesome to bury. I wish It 
 were possible to have you walk the plank. However, 
 pray do not bother too much on our account." 
 
126 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "We weren't thinking about you at all," said Toby. 
 "We were thinking about ourselves." 
 
 "Oh," said Captain Lingo, in a tone of disappoint- 
 ment. "I beg your pardon; I misunderstood. At any 
 rate, we will now prepare for our little ceremony. If 
 there are any trifling articles of jewelry and the like, 
 I will be pleased to " 
 
 "But this boy !" cried Toby. "And this lady ! You 
 don't mean to — you can't mean " 
 
 "Not for worlds," said Captain Lingo, "would I be 
 rude to a lady. I trust you will find my conduct 
 towards the lady beyond reproach. There shall be no 
 rudeness of any kind. Merely a quick stroke, and all 
 will be over. No violence, no roughness of any kind; 
 not a word to offend the most sensitive ears. A single 
 stroke, and the affair is done. And let me tell you, I 
 have here with me a Practitioner who is very expert 
 in this sort of business: our friend Ketch, in fact, who 
 was so kind as to wet the handkerchief for the lady. 
 I assure you that you are in great luck to fall into the 
 hands of such a Practitioner; he will make it as pleasant 
 for you as possible; one stroke only, I promise you. 
 With one stroke of a cutlass, he is able to slice off a 
 head as neatly as you could do it with a broadaxe; 
 there are very few who can do it with a cutlass, let me 
 tell you that. Many men have become famous by being 
 operated on by Ketch. I remember a case — However," 
 he said, looking about him as if considering something, 
 and speaking rather to himself than to the others, "it 
 would be difficult to bury the bodies here, and the light 
 is not very good. I think, yes, I think it had better 
 be done outside. You are already wet, and I trust that 
 another immersion will not inconvenience you too 
 much. Lads," he said to his six men, "put on the rub- 
 ber suits, and help our friends under the fall. Look 
 alive, now." 
 
 The six men immediately ran to their rubber suits 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 127 
 
 and began to put them on. While they were doing this, 
 Toby put one arm about Freddie and the other about 
 Aunt Amanda. She lowered her head to his shoulder 
 for a moment, but she soon raised it, and standing very 
 erect she said, "Very well, if it must be, it must. It's 
 easy to see that this bloodthirsty villain means every 
 word he says; but I ain't going to whimper; I'm the 
 captain, and I order that everybody keep up his cour- 
 age, and wait and see what will happen." 
 
 "Ay, ay, ma'am," said the Churchwarden. 
 
 "Do you know," whispered the Old Codger with the 
 Wooden Leg, "I believe that we are in a good deal of 
 — er — danger." 
 
 Freddie put his hand in Toby's, and held it tight. 
 "You keep close to me if you can," said Toby, squeez- 
 ing his hand. "We may be rescued at the last minute; 
 you never can tell. Don't lose your nerve." 
 
 Freddie was trembling with fear, and the hand which 
 held Toby's was as cold as ice; but he said nothing; 
 the others were being brave, and he resolved that he 
 would be as brave as the rest, up to the very last. He 
 began to think of his mother and his father, and to 
 wonder what would become of them If he should be — 
 but he forced himself not to think of that; he pressed 
 his lips tight together, and commanded himself to 
 be brave. 
 
 The six pirates returned, clad in their baggy rubber 
 suits, and looking very much like bears walking on 
 their hind legs. They brought with them Captain 
 Lingo's suit, and helped him to get into it. When he 
 was encased like the others, with only his hands and 
 face showing, he said: 
 
 "Now, madam, I will assist you to the fall." 
 
 "We'll attend to that," put in Toby, quickly. "Come 
 on, Mr. Punch." 
 
 Aunt Amanda's cane having been lost, she found 
 more difficulty in walking than formerly, but Toby and 
 
128 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Mr. Punch supported her to such good effect that she 
 kept up with the others very well on their march into 
 the water towards the fall. All, except the pirates, 
 shivered as the cold water came again around their 
 knees, and they looked with fear upon the tumbling 
 cafaract which they were required to go under. There 
 was no help for it, however; the seven pirates sur- 
 rounded them and persuaded them to go on. They 
 stood in a forlorn group in the quiet water near the 
 foot of the fall. 
 
 "Now, madam," said Captain Lingo, "I will help 
 you under." 
 
 Toby and Mr. Punch, feeling that the pirate knew 
 the way better than they did, resigned Aunt Amanda to 
 his care, not without some fear that the villain might 
 deliberately drown her on the way through. He made 
 her kneel in the water, and then lie flat; and with a 
 strong arm he pulled her under the water-fall and out 
 of sight. 
 
 "You're next," said a deep voice to Freddie, and 
 Ketch the Practitioner seized him and plunged with 
 him under the water; and in an instant they had disap- 
 peared beyond the fall. 
 
 One after another the miserable, shivering victims 
 were assisted by the pirates under the water, and one 
 by one disappeared. The Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg was the last, and one of the pirates returned for 
 him. When he had followed the others, the great 
 half-dark chamber remained as it had been before, in 
 its empty solitude and gloom, without an ear to hear 
 the steady rush of water pouring incessantly down its 
 fall. 
 
 On the outer side of that rushing fall was a scene 
 very different indeed. The pirates and their captives 
 stood under a blazing sun, looking across a wide and 
 beautiful landscape. Behind them, in the side of a high 
 hill overgrown with bushes, was the hole by which they 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 1 29 
 
 had come forth, and across the Inside of this hole was 
 the curtain of falling water. Freddie wondered how 
 anyone had ever had the courage to plunge for the 
 first time through that curtain into the unknown dark. 
 The heat of the sun was very grateful, and the clothing 
 of the soaked travellers began to dry perceptibly at 
 once. The pirates took off their rubber suits. 
 
 Beneath the observers the ground sloped down Into 
 a broad valley, chequered with grass meadows and 
 dotted with trees. To theiil left, as they gazed out 
 across the landscape, the ground rose from the valley 
 by easy stages to a great height, no doubt forming the 
 landward side of the black cliff which bordered the 
 ocean. 
 
 To the right, the country rolled gently away from 
 the valley in a vast unbroken forest, a shimmering green 
 ocean of tree-tops as far as the eye could see. Far, far 
 off where the forest rose In a kind of mound, Freddie 
 thought he could see what looked like the top of a 
 round tower, just emerging above the haze of trees. 
 
 The pirates and their captives were standing on a 
 little grassy plateau, on which were great boulders here 
 and there, and a few wide leafy trees. Two or three 
 fallen logs were lying near the edge of the plateau, 
 where it began to slope downward. 
 
 Captain Lingo stepped out of his rubber suit, spread 
 out his fine white handkerchief on a boulder to dry, 
 and twiddled his moist fingers daintily in the air, after 
 which he blew on his finger-nails and polished them on 
 his shirt-sleeves. 
 
 "We are now ready," said he, "for the ceremony. 
 Ketch, thy cutlass." 
 
 Ketch drew his cutlass from his belt and handed it 
 to the captain. It glittered wickedly In the sunlight. 
 The captain ran his thumb along Its edge, and nodded 
 his head with satisfaction. 
 
 "It will do," said he. "One stroke for each will be 
 
I30 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 quite sufficient. We will now proceed with the cere- 
 mony." 
 
 He restored the cutlass to the Practitioner, who 
 raised it high and gave a swinging slash downward 
 with it, as if to test his eye and arm. The Practitioner 
 then rolled his right shirt-sleeve up to his shoulder; he 
 was the largest man in the party, and his arm was the 
 arm of a blacksmith. 
 
 "Stop!" cried Mr. Punch. "One moment! Captain 
 Lingo ! You are a Henglishman, aren't you ?" 
 
 "I am an Englishman," said the Captain, swelling 
 Out his chest. "Long live King James !" 
 
 "Hi am a Henglishman also," said Mr. Punch, 
 swelling out his chest. "You carn't murder a fellow- 
 countryman in cold blood, now can you? Hi s'y, you 
 couldn't do that, you know. We're both subjects of 
 her gracious Majesty, we are. Long live Queen Vic- 
 toria!" 
 
 "Who?" said Captain Lingo, 
 
 "Queen Victoria!" cried Mr. Punch. "She'd never, 
 never forgive you hlf " 
 
 "Never heard of her," said Captain Lingo calmly. 
 "I'm a loyal subject of his Catholic Majesty King 
 James the Second, — may all the saints defend him!" 
 
 "King James the Second !" cried Mr. Punch. "Why, 
 'e's been dead these two 'undred year, nearly! 'E's 
 as dead as Christopher Columbus!" 
 
 Captain Lingo started violently, and his face became 
 dark with anger, 
 
 "Dead? King James dead? Do you mark that, 
 lads? He calls his blessed Majesty dead! Aha! thou 
 renegade Englishman, thou hast imagined the death 
 of the king! A felony, by St. George! And the 
 punishment is death ! What, thou reprobate, dost thou 
 not know 'tis a felony, punishable by death, to imagine 
 the death of the King?" 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 131 
 
 "But 'e is dead. One carn't live two 'undred years, 
 you know." 
 
 "You hear !" said Captain Lingo, his voice quivering 
 with rage. "He imagines the death of the King! Any 
 judge in the kingdom would sentence him to die for 
 that ! 'Tis the law ! But enough talk. Captain Lingo 
 is not the man to stand by and see the law defied ! For 
 that, my pretty Englishman, thou shalt die the death 
 twice over. There shall be violence in thy case. Thou 
 shalt wish thou hadst never been born. Thou shalt be 
 kept for the last. Ay, ay; there shall be fine sport at 
 his taking off, eh, lads? Enough! Proceed with the 
 ceremony. To Imagine the death of the King! Ketch, 
 art thou ready?" 
 
 "Ay, ay. Captain," said the Practitioner. 
 
 The captain cast his angry eye over the terrified 
 group shivering In their damp garments. "One of you 
 must be first. Who shall be first? Let me see." Each 
 person quailed as the pirate's eye rested on him. "One 
 moment. We will decide it by chance." 
 
 He plucked seven sprigs of grass, and broke them 
 into varying lengths. He then held them in his hand 
 so that only the even ends showed. "Now choose," 
 said he. "The longest blade shall be first." 
 
 Each drew a blade of grass, except Mr. Punch, who 
 had already been reserved for the last. "Thou shalt 
 be quartered alive," said the captain to him. "To dare 
 imagine the death of the King!" 
 
 Freddie trembled as he drew his sprig of grass; but 
 he did not draw the longest; the longest blade fell to 
 Mr. Hanlon, and the next to Freddie. Mr. Toby was 
 third, the Churchwarden fourth, the Sly Old Codger 
 fifth, Aunt Amanda sixth, and the Old Codger with 
 the Wooden Leg seventh. 
 
 "We will use that fallen log," said the captain, and 
 led the way towards it. He was now very stern; all 
 
132 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 his politeness had been dissipated by the offense of Mnj 
 Punch. 
 
 "Toby," said Aunt Amanda, as they were moving 
 towards the place of the ceremony, "I hope you will 
 excuse me for all the cross words I have ever spoken 
 to you." 
 
 "Oh, nonsense. Aunt Amanda," said Toby, sniffling 
 a little, "Pve been a trial enough, I know it. What 
 will become of the shop?" 
 
 "Poor Freddie!" said Aunt Amanda, "It just 
 breaks my heart to see him so brave. He's so young 
 to have to — to — And his poor mother! Oh dear, oh 
 dear!" 
 
 "Now then," said Captain Lingo, "you may sit down 
 on the grass until your turns come." 
 
 Toby helped Aunt Amanda to sit down. Freddie 
 sat beside her and pressed his white face against her 
 shoulder. The others grouped themselves on the grass 
 about them; all except Mr. Hanlon, who, knowing that 
 his time had come, stepped forward and stood before 
 Ketch the Practitioner, who was feeling the edge of 
 his cutlass. 
 
 One of the pirates produced from his pocket some 
 strong twine, and bound Mr. Hanlon's arms behind 
 him. On a sign from Captain Lingo, this man led 
 Mr. Hanlon to the fallen log, and made him kneel 
 beside it and rest his head face down upon it, so that 
 there was a good view from above of the back of 
 his neck. 
 
 The dreadful moment had arrived. 
 
 Ketch the Practitioner took his place by Mr. Han- 
 lon's side, planted his feet firmly, wide apart, tucked 
 in his right shirt-sleeve at the shoulder, and raised 
 his gleaming cutlass high above his head. 
 
 A scream from Aunt Amanda made him hesitate 
 for an instant, but only for an instant; as Aunt Amanda 
 and Freddie closed their eyes and burled their faces in 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 133 
 
 their hands, the cutlass flashed twice around the head 
 of Ketch and came down with a swift and horrible 
 slash straight upon the back of Mr. Hanlon's neck. 
 
 A single stroke was enough; Mr. Hanlon's head 
 rolled off upon the ground. 
 
 I "Well done, Ketch," said Captain Lingo, quietly. 
 "I doubt if there's another hand on the Spanish Main 
 could have done it." 
 
 Ketch blushed with honest pride at these gracious 
 words. He swung his bloody cutlass in embarrass- 
 ment. All the pirates turned towards the pale group 
 on the grass, and Captain Lingo said, "Next!" 
 
 Freddie stood up. His knees began to tremble 
 under him, and his heart was beating so fast that 
 he could hardly breathe. Aunt Amanda flung her 
 arms about him as he stood beside her, and cried "No, 
 no, no!" in a voice of anguish. 
 
 All eyes were on the Little Boy, as he stood await- 
 ing his dreadful fate, with Aunt Amanda's arms about 
 him. His time had come. His friends were waiting 
 to see if he would be brave, and though his face was 
 white his courage did not fail him. He looked at them 
 in farewell, and each one gave him a tearful gaze 
 in return. 
 
 He turned his eyes towards the warm and friendly 
 landscape, for a last look at the world he was about 
 to leave. It would be hard to go, and he would need 
 all his strength to bear the — A loud cry from Freddie 
 startled all the others. "Look!" he cried, and pointed 
 a shaking finger. 
 
 They looked, and what they saw was Mr. Hanlon. 
 
 By the log on which his head had been cut off, Mr. 
 Hanlon was standing, his hands behind his back, 
 and his head in its proper place on his shoulders. 
 He was smiling and bowing, and as the astonished 
 spectators gazed at him with their mouths open. 
 
134 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "... ' " , -^^ . <^ 
 
 Mr. Hanlon was standing by the log on which 
 his head had been cut off. 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 135 
 
 he sprang lightly into the air and clicked his heels 
 together as he came down. 
 
 "Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Toby in spite of himself. 
 "Freddie, we've seen that little act before, haven't 
 wer 
 
 Freddie nodded. He remembered very well the first 
 time he had seen Mr. Hanlon's head cut off, at the 
 Gaunt Street Theatre at home; he wondered that he 
 had not thought of it before. 
 
 Captain Lingo was plainly very angry. His face 
 turned a purple hue, and the scar across his mouth 
 showed very white. He fingered his knife danger- 
 ously, and at the same time glared at Ketch, who 
 was scratching his head in bewilderment. The cap- 
 tain did not raise his voice, but he spoke with deadly 
 earnestness. 
 
 *'A fine workman thou, friend Ket'ch," said he. 
 "Truly a pretty hand with a cutlass, thou son of a 
 sea-cook. I've a mind to let a little of thy blood 
 with this knife, thou scurvy knave. But I will give 
 thee one more chance. If thou fail again, by St. 
 George thou shalt die the death. Once more, now! 
 And remember!" 
 
 It was Ketch's turn now to tremble. He knew 
 very well that Captain Lingo would do as he had 
 said, if he should fail a second time. His own life 
 hung on a thread now. 
 
 "Ay, ay, Captain," he said huskily, and led Mr. 
 Hanlon back to the fallen log and made him kneel 
 as before. 
 
 As Mr. Hanlon's head lay across the log, he turned 
 it round towards his friends, and gave them a long 
 slow wink. 
 
 Ketch's cutlass flashed as before. Round his head it 
 swung twice, and down it came with a slashing stroke 
 straight and true on the back of Mr. Hanlon's neck. 
 Off rolled Mr. Hanlon's head upon the ground. 
 
136 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Everyone watched breathlessly; and Ketch did not 
 breathe at all. 
 
 For a second Mr. Hanlon's body continued to kneel 
 headless beside the log. Then the head on the ground 
 popped like a flash to the neck it belonged to, and 
 fastened itself accurately there in place. Ketch turned 
 ghastly pale. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon sprang up, opened his mouth wide in 
 a soundless laugh, bowed to Captain Lingo, jumped 
 lightly into the air, and clicked his heels together three 
 times as he came down. 
 
 Captain Lingo's face was a terrible sight to see. He 
 gazed steadily at Ketch. The unfortunate Practitioner 
 was shaking like a leaf. Captain Lingo slowly drew 
 his knife, and held it behind him in his right hand. 
 With the other hand he pointed to the ground before 
 him. 
 
 "Hither, dog," he said, in a quiet, even voice. 
 
 Ketch hesitated, gave a wild look about him, and 
 advanced slowly towards his captain. When he 
 reached him, he fell on his knees and held up his 
 shaking hands. 
 
 "No! no! no! captain," he cried. "Don't do it! 
 Oh, please don't do it! I done my duty always, and 
 I ain't never failed before! Remember my poor 
 old mother, captain! Give me one chance, captain, 
 just one! Don't kill me! Captain! Captain!" 
 
 The expression on Lingo's face did not change; but 
 the glitter in his eye became even more murderous 
 than before. He said not a word, but with his left 
 hand snatched off the kerchief which bound Ketch's 
 head, and seized him by the hair; and with his other 
 hand he brought the knife swiftly around in front and 
 lowered it to plunge it into Ketch's heart. 
 
 At that moment Aunt Amanda, forgetting her lame- 
 ness, struggled to her feet, hobbled to the kneeling 
 
A FINE PIECE OF HEAD-WORK 137 
 
 man, and throwing her body between him and the 
 knife, shrieked at Captain Lingo. 
 
 "Stop! stop! you bloodthirsty villain! Ain't you 
 got no shame? What are you going to murder him 
 for? Ain't he done the best he could? You're a big 
 bully, that's all you are! You ain't a man at all, 
 you're a monster ! Put up that knife, and take your 
 hand out of his hair! Ain't you ashamed of your- 
 self?" 
 
 Captain Lingo was taken completely by surprise. His 
 eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped; he was so as- 
 tonished that he took his hand from Ketch's hair and 
 put up his knife. 
 
 "That's the idea," said Aunt Amanda. "You're 
 more of a man than I thought. Mr. Ketch, you had 
 better get up." 
 
 "Madam," said Captain Lingo, making her a bow, 
 " 'tis a bold action and generous. I trust I am able 
 to respond to it in kind. My duty to you, ma'am; 
 your obedient humble servant. Ketch, thou white- 
 livered dog, get up, and thank this lady for thy life." 
 
 Ketch, still pale and trembling, stood up, and seizing 
 one of Aunt Amanda's hands in both of his, made a 
 low bow over it and kissed it fervently. By the look 
 in his eyes it was plain to see that he was from 
 that moment her devoted slave. 
 
 "Madam and gentlemen," said Captain Lingo, "I 
 am sorry to inform you that the ceremony is over, until 
 I can obtain another Practitioner to take the place 
 of Ketch. I blush with shame when I think how I 
 boasted of his skill. I hope you will not think I meant 
 to deceive you. I assure you I am more disappointed 
 than you can possibly be. I am provoked and dis- 
 gusted and irritated; I am annoyed; I can't deny it. 
 There Is nothing to do but to retire to our home in 
 High Dudgeon." 
 
138 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "What's that?" said Aunt Amanda. "Is It a place, 
 or is it just the way you feel?" 
 
 "Ask me no more," said Captain Lingo, turning 
 away. "I must confer with my lads about our next 
 step." 
 
 "Are you going to take us with you?" asked Aunt 
 Amanda. 
 
 "We shall certainly give ourselves that pleasure, 
 madam," said the captain, rather stiffly. "Lads, come 
 with me." 
 
 On a sign from the captain, one of the pirates cut 
 the twine which bound Mr. Hanlon's hands, and the 
 restored one joined his friends on the grass. The 
 seven pirates moved away to a spot some score of yards 
 apart, where they all sat down on the ground and 
 engaged at once in animated talk. 
 
 "I conclude," said the Churchwarden, "though I 
 don't know as I'm right about it, and other people 
 may have a different opinion, that we're a good deal 
 better off — " 
 
 "What I say is," said Toby, clapping Freddie on the 
 shoulder, "what I say is, three cheers for Mr. 
 Hanlon!" 
 
 "Yes!" said Freddie. "That's just what I said that 
 day after the theatre !" 
 
 "I wonder," said the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg, "I wonder if — er — ahem! — if Captain Lingo 
 has- — er — such a thing as a pinch of snuff about him." 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 HIGH DUDGEON AND LOW DUDGEON 
 
 THE pirate captain and his men rose from the 
 ground, and Captain Lingo, in his politest 
 manner, requested his captives to follow him. 
 The entire party moved down the slope into the val- 
 ley, and after a walk of some quarter of a mile en- 
 tered a grove of trees. In this grove were tethered 
 ten handsome mules, of which seven were saddled and 
 three were laden with packs. 
 
 One of the pack-mules was quickly unladen, a fire 
 was built, and in ten minutes the hungry guests and 
 their hosts were making a very good breakfast of 
 bacon, fried by Mr. Leatherbread, as the. captain 
 called him, one of the pirates to whom the business of 
 the frying-pan was left by general consent. When 
 the bacon had been washed down with clear cold water 
 from a spring near by, and the mule had been packed 
 again, Freddie and Aunt Amanda were assisted into 
 the saddles of the two smallest mules, and the captain 
 mounted into the saddle of the largest. 
 
 "Now look here. Captain Lingo," said Aunt 
 Amanda, "I want to know where we are going and 
 all about it. The idea of me sitting here a-straddle 
 of a mule ! And this bonnet simply ruined, and my 
 dress just about fit to go to the rag-bone man, and 
 my hair — Look here, Captain Lingo, I ain't going a 
 step on this mule until you tell me what — " 
 
 "Pardon me, my dear lady," said the captain, "but 
 I must ask you to put up with my little whims a 
 short while longer. I beg the pleasure of your so- 
 
 139 
 
140 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 cicty upon a little journey; nothing more. I assure 
 you the country is very interesting. May I not promise 
 myself the bliss of your approval?" He turned to 
 the six pirates with a scowl. "Mount the rest of 
 them, scoundrels !" 
 
 Four of the captives were mounted by the pirates 
 on the remaining mules, and the procession moved out 
 of the grove into the open valley. 
 
 Freddie had never ridden a mule before, and he 
 was delighted. When they entered, as they soon did, 
 the great forest which they had seen from, the plateau, 
 Freddie was more than ever delighted. After the 
 blazing sun of the open country, the shade of the forest 
 was delicious. The trees were huge, and while the 
 trunks were far apart, their branches made a leafy roof 
 overhead which was almost unbroken. Flowering 
 plants grew everywhere; vines climbed the trees; little 
 streams murmured here and there; and the only sound 
 which disturbed the repose of the forest was the oc- 
 casional screech of a parrot and the occasional chat- 
 ter of monkeys. The first time Freddie heard the 
 sudden scream of a parrot in the stillness he was 
 thoroughly alarmed, but when he learned what it was, 
 and saw the flash of the bird's plumage between the 
 trees, he forgot all about his danger, and for the rest 
 of the day he gave himself up to the pleasure of watch- 
 ing for parrots and monkeys among the branches. 
 
 The Sly Old Codger turned in his saddle and said 
 to Toby, who was riding behind, with Mr. Punch 
 walking between: 
 
 "A work of nature, my dear friend, a real work 
 of nature. So beautiful! Parrots and monkeys flit- 
 ting about overhead, the primeval forest stretching 
 its bosky arms above us in all directions — so bosky! 
 What one might call a real work of nature; so very, 
 very bosky." 
 
 "Right you are," said Toby. "It puts our Druid 
 
HIGH DUDGEON AND LOW DUDGEON 141 
 
 Hill Park in the shade, that's a fact; makes it take a 
 back seat and play second fiddle, as sure as you're 
 born." 
 
 "Hi beg your pardon," said Mr. Punch. " 'Ow can 
 a park sit down and play a fiddle?" 
 
 All day long they moved onward, single file, further 
 and further into the depths of the forest. At noon 
 they halted for a luncheon of fried bacon, prepared 
 by Mr. Leatherbread. The afternoon wore on, and 
 the forest became gloomier and gloomier about them 
 as they marched; the silence grew almost terrifying; 
 and all the pleasure which Freddie had felt in the 
 morning vanished. Night fell, and the procession en- 
 tered a little clearing, and there the pirates made 
 camp for the night. 
 
 After a supper of fried bacon, prepared by Mr. 
 Leatherbread, the whole party retired to rest, each on 
 a mattress of green branches and leaves, covered with 
 blankets. The night was mild, and when the last 
 blanket had been made ready the moon rose and tinged 
 the tops of the trees with silver; and while Freddie 
 was watching the moon as it climbed higher, he fell 
 asleep. Aunt Amanda did not go to sleep so soon. 
 
 Ketch the Practitioner had devoted himself very 
 specially to her in preparing her resting-place. While 
 he was spreading the branches and blankets for her, 
 she said to him : 
 
 "Ketch, where are we going?" 
 
 "Not so loud, ma'am," said he. "We are going 
 to High Dudgeon." 
 
 "High Dudgeon! What's that?" 
 
 "S-sh! When we're disappointed, or disgusted, or 
 vexed, we always go to our home in High Dudgeon." 
 
 "Is that where you live?" 
 
 "Part of the time, ma'am. Mostly we are away at 
 sea or on the Island; but when anything goes wrong. 
 
142 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 and we're angry about it, we always go home and 
 stay there, in High Dudgeon. Yes, ma'am." 
 
 "And what are they going to do with us when they 
 get us there?" 
 
 "S-sh! You'll be in great danger there. If you 
 can find any way to escape from there, I advise you — 
 S-sh! Not another word. Captain Lingo is looking 
 this way. I must go." 
 
 Aunt Amanda did not sleep very well that night. 
 
 In the morning, after a breakfast of fried bacon, 
 prepared by Mr. Leatherbread, the company resumed 
 its march. 
 
 At noon, a halt was made beside a spring for rest 
 and food, and here Mr. Leatherbread prepared a 
 luncheon of fried bacon. 
 
 In the evening, as the travellers were plodding on- 
 ward. Ketch walked for a time at the head of Aunt 
 Amanda's mule. Aunt Amanda leaned forward and 
 said to him : 
 
 "Ketch, are we going to have more bacon tonight?" 
 
 "No, ma'am," said he, in a low voice. "We'll have 
 supper in High Dudgeon. My old mother's the cook 
 there. You heard me mention her yesterday morn- 
 ing. I've an idea there'll be pigeon pies for supper. 
 And mark what I'm saying to you, ma'am." His voice 
 sank to a whisper. "If you get a pigeon pie for sup- 
 per, look careful to see what's Inside of it before you 
 eat it." 
 
 "Mercy on us!" said Aunt Amanda. "Are they 
 going to poison us?" 
 
 But Ketch slipped away in the gathering darkness, 
 and said no more. 
 
 They had gone but a few hundred yards further, 
 when, at the moment when the darkness of night was 
 making ready to blot out everything, they suddenly 
 emerged into a round grassy clearing enclosed by the 
 forest, where the light was better, and over which a 
 
HIGH DUDGEON AxND LOW DUDGEON 143 
 
 star or two could be seen glimmering in a pale blue 
 sky. In the midst of this clearing rose a tower. 
 
 It was a round tower, built of stone; its top came 
 scarcely to the top of the surrounding trees, and it 
 was in fact not more than twO' stories high; it appeared, 
 with its wide girth, low and squat. Its sides were 
 pierced here and there with deep and narrow slits, 
 for windows, and on one side was a heavy oaken door, 
 with great iron hinges and an iron lock. Through 
 two or three of the upper slits in the wall glimmered 
 a light from within. It was otherwise dark and for- 
 bidding. 
 
 Aunt Amanda found Ketch at her mule's head again. 
 She leaned forward and said to him: 
 
 "Is that High Dudgeon?" 
 
 "No, ma'am. That's Low Dudgeon." 
 
 "Low Dudgeon? What do you mean by Low 
 Dudgeon?" 
 
 Ketch looked at the tower and shuddered. "I don't 
 like to talk about it, ma'am. I don't like the place. 
 It's the place where we used to live long ago, before 
 we built High Dudgeon. There's none of us wants 
 to live there now. We haven't lived there since — " 
 Ketch paused, and shuddered again, and evidently de- 
 cided not to go on. 
 
 "There's a light up there," said Aunt Amanda. 
 "Does anybody live there?" 
 
 "No, ma'am," said Ketch. "Nobody lives there." 
 
 "But there's a light," said Aunt Amanda. "Surely 
 there must be somebody there." 
 
 "There is, ma'am; there is; thirteen of 'em." 
 
 "Thirteen what?" 
 
 But Ketch only shuddered again, and would say no 
 more. 
 
 Aunt Amanda noticed that instead of going straight 
 onward past the door of Low Dudgeon, the pirates 
 led the file in a wide course away from it, along the 
 
144 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 edge of the clearing, as if to avoid coming n&ar to 
 it; and when the procession had thus skirted the clear- 
 ing and entered the forest again on the other side, 
 leaving the low tower behind, a sigh, as if of relief, 
 went up from Ketch and all the other pirates; except, 
 however, from Captain Lingo himself, who appeared 
 to be wholly indifferent. 
 
 "How much further?" said Aunt Amanda to Ketch. 
 
 "About a mile, ma'am," said he. 
 
 The last mile of their journey was a long mile, and 
 it was traversed in perfect darkness. The moon had 
 not yet risen. Not a word was spoken, and there was 
 no sound except the pad of the mules' feet and the 
 breaking of twigs and branches as the travellers 
 pushed their way through. The prisoners were in a 
 state of greater nervousness and anxiety than before, 
 and as they neared the place where their lives were 
 to be disposed of in one way or another, their sense 
 of uncertainty became almost unbearable. When it 
 seemed that they must be close to the fateful place, 
 the procession suddenly halted, and at the same instant 
 the screech of a parrot startled the silence and made 
 each of the prisoners jump. 
 
 "It's only the captain," said Ketch. "It's a signal." 
 
 Immediately, as if in response, there came from a 
 distance in advance the note of a cuckoo, three times 
 repeated. The procession moved forward. 
 
 A moment or two later, the whole company came 
 forth from the forest under the stars, and stood on the 
 edge of a wide round clearing, grown high with grass 
 and weeds. In the midst of this clearing rose a tower. 
 
 "High Dudgeon," said Ketch over his shoulder. 
 
 This also was a round tower, built of stone; but It 
 was very tall, much taller than the highest trees, and 
 from the top there must have been a view of all the 
 surrounding country, even as far as the hill within 
 which was the treasure cave; from the number of deep 
 
HIGH DUDGEON and LOW DUDGEON 145 
 
 and narrow slits which served as windows it must have 
 been six or seven stories high. The top of the tower 
 was flat, with battlements around the rim. As a fort- 
 ress, it seemed to be impregnable; as a dwelling- 
 house, it was very dismal indeed. It was totally dark. 
 The captives trembled at the thought of being im- 
 prisoned in such a place. 
 
 The wayfarers proceeded in their single file directly 
 to the great iron-bound oaken door of the tower, and 
 those who were mounted got down. Ketch assisted 
 Aunt Amanda and Freddie to alight, and having done 
 so he took charge of the mules and led them away. 
 
 Captain Lingo took from his breeches pocket a small 
 key and unlocked the door. 
 
 "Be so kind as to enter," he said, and made way 
 for the captives and his men. 
 
 When all were within, including Ketch, who had now 
 returned, the captain locked the door on the inside and 
 restored the key to his pocket. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 
 
 THEY were in a dark and narrow passage-way. 
 As they stood huddled there together, a candle 
 glimmered at the end of the passage, held in a 
 tremulous hand, and lighting up the face of a very 
 old woman. She advanced towards the party by the 
 door, and holding her candle high above her head in- 
 spected the strangers with little blinking watery eyes. 
 She was short and bent; she hobbled as she came for- 
 ward; her face was seamed with deep wrinkles, and 
 the hand which held the candle was knotted and 
 gnarled; wisps of dirty grey hair hung over her eyes. 
 
 "Aha! Mother Ketch," said Captain Lingo. "I 
 wager thou didst not expect us so soon. What's in 
 the larder? We are famished." 
 
 Old Mother Ketch looked at her son, the Practi- 
 tioner, and nodded her head at him once or twice, 
 blinking her eyes. Then she fixed her eyes on Aunt 
 Amanda, and seemed to forget everybody else. 
 
 "Well? well?" said Captain Lingo, impatiently. 
 "Art gomg to keep us here all night? Come, woman! 
 Speak up directly! What's for supper, eh?" 
 
 Mother Ketch slowly removed her eyes from Aunt 
 Amanda, and looked at the captain steadily. 
 
 "There's nought but pigeons and mushrooms and — " 
 said she. 
 
 "Good I" said the captain. "Then we will have 
 pigeon pies; one for each; and well filled, mind you. 
 Now haste; be off." 
 
 146 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 147 
 
 Mother Ketch turned and hobbled slowly down the 
 passage, and the glimmer of her candle disappeared. 
 
 "Follow me," said Captain Lingo. 
 
 The six pirates vanished somewhere in the dark- 
 ness, and the others followed Captain Lingo up a 
 winding stair. At the top was a heavy door, which 
 he unlocked with his key, and locked again on the in- 
 side after his guests had passed through. He then led 
 them down a dark passage-way, and turning to the 
 right unlocked a door with his key and threw it open. 
 
 They were in a large dining-room, on the table of 
 which were numerous candles, which the captain 
 lighted. In one wall was an opening for a dumb-waiter 
 for sending up food from the kitchen below. The 
 party seated themselves at the table, and after a con- 
 siderable time Ketch entered, a napkin on his arm, and 
 at the same time the dumb-waiter rose from the kitchen, 
 and the meal commenced. 
 
 Ketch waited on the table. Besides pigeon pies 
 there were mushrooms, a lettuce salad, hot biscuit, and 
 excellent coffee. Ketch placed the first pigeon pie be- 
 fore the captain, and Aunt Amanda noticed that he 
 examined the top of it carefully as he did so. She ob- 
 served that he examined the top of each pie carefully 
 before he placed It, until he had put one before her- 
 self, after which he put the others about without look- 
 ing at them. She examined the top of her own pie 
 herself, to see what Ketch could have been looking at. 
 She saw in the center of it a tiny figure made of very 
 brown dough, and as she looked closer it seemed to 
 have the shape of a tiny key. She glanced at the other 
 pies, and none of them bore any mark of this kind. 
 
 Everyone set to with a good will, and Aunt Amanda 
 opened her pie. She remembered Ketch's caution, and 
 she prodded it secretly with her fork before taking a 
 bite. At the bottom her fork touched something hard. 
 She Immediately began to put the contents of her pie 
 
148 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 on her plate, and she did so in such a way as to leave 
 the hard object beneath the rest. In the course of the 
 meal, she dropped a portion of the pie to the floor, 
 and stooped to pick it up. As she did so, she man- 
 aged to take the hard object from her plate and conceal 
 it in her lap. It was a key. 
 
 When the meal was over, the captain led his guests 
 forth to their respective bed-rooms, each carrying a 
 lighted candle from the table. At the top of a stair 
 was a closed door, which he unlocked with his key, 
 and locked after the others had passed through. Along 
 the passage which ran from this door were doors at 
 intervals in the walls, and these he opened, one after 
 another, showing one of his guests each time into a 
 bedroom and leaving him there. On the stair. Aunt 
 Amanda had whispered into Toby's ear the words, 
 "Don't go to bed. Pass it along." And these words 
 had been passed in a whisper from one to another of 
 the captives. 
 
 Aunt Amanda, in her own room, now sat herself 
 down to wait. She blew out her candle, and sat watch- 
 ing the shaft of moonlight which came through the 
 slit that served for a window. She must have fallen 
 asleep, for she came to herself with a start, and found 
 the shaft of moonlight gone. She limped to the door, 
 and found it locked. She took from her dress the 
 pigeon-pie key and unlocked the door. The passage- 
 way outside was silent and dark. She felt her way 
 along the wall to the next door, and found it locked. 
 She quietly unlocked it with her key. Toby was sit- 
 ting within, waiting. He rose without a word, and 
 followed her. They tiptoed from door to door, find- 
 ing each one locked, and silently released each of the 
 prisoners. 
 
 The key fitted every lock on their way down stairs. 
 They reached the ground floor without an accident, and 
 there in the passage which they had first seen they 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 149 
 
 stopped to listen. They heard the click of a latch at 
 the rear; a door there opened quietly on a crack and 
 a light shone through; every heart stopped beating 
 for a moment. The door opened wider, and a lighted 
 candle appeared, and over it the wrinkled face of an 
 old woman; she peered out into the passage, shading 
 the candle with a trembling hand; the party of quak- 
 ing runaways stood as still as mice, and held their 
 breath; the old woman blinked for a moment into the 
 darkness, and blew out her candle. All was dark 
 again, and the latch of the door clicked. 
 
 The runaways lost no time. They crept silently 
 but rapidly to the entrance door. Aunt Amanda 
 unlocked and opened it, and they pressed out hurriedly. 
 They were standing on the grass in a flood of moon- 
 light. 
 
 Aunt Amanda, whose lameness had been almost for- 
 gotten in her excitement, now leaned on Toby, who 
 was holding Freddie's hand, and who led the way to 
 the rim of the forest where the trail lay. There was 
 some difficulty in finding the trail, but they did find 
 it at last, and they filed into the forest. They had 
 not gone more than twenty yards when Toby, who 
 was in advance, saw a great black object directly across 
 their path. He went forward cautiously, in spite of 
 his alarm, and breathed a sigh of joy when he saw 
 what it was; it was a mule, saddled and bridled, and 
 tied to a bush. Further on were other mules, all 
 tethered; there were ten In all, of which eight were 
 saddled and two were laden with packs. 
 
 "Blessings on that Ketch," whispered Aunt Amanda. 
 
 In a moment the entire party were mounted. In 
 another moment they were going along the trail at a 
 fast walk. The mules knew the way, and there was 
 now no danger of going astray In the forest. Only, 
 where were they to go, after all ? If the pirates should 
 catch them, eveiything would soon be over. If they 
 
150 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 should manage to elude the pirates, they would still be 
 lost in the wilderness of this unknown Island. What 
 was to become of them not one could tell. The future 
 seemed very dark indeed. 
 
 Once or twice they paused, to listen for sounds of 
 pursuit; but they heard nothing; not a sound disturbed 
 the stillness; and the little moonlight which filtered here 
 and there through the trees seemed to make the dark- 
 ness more intense. 
 
 They had gone about half a mile, and were plodding 
 along in drowsy silence, when suddenly, out of the tall 
 bushes beside the trail, seven dark figures sprang upon 
 them and seized the bridles of their mules. 
 
 "Ah!" cried Toby. "We are lost! The pirates!" 
 
 The mules stood stock still. 
 
 "It's no use," said Toby. "We can't escape. They 
 are armed, and we are not. All right, Captain Lingo, 
 don't strike; we surrender. We'll go back with you; 
 don't strike." 
 
 "I beg your pardon," said a voice which none of 
 them had ever heard before. "Are you pirates?" 
 
 "Ain't you pirates yourselves?" cried Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "What?" said the voice. "Is there a lady here? In 
 that case, you are probably not pirates. Perhaps we 
 have been too hasty. I beg your pardon." 
 
 "Who are you ?" said Aunt Amanda. 
 ' "Do you admit that you are not pirates?" said the 
 voice. 
 
 "Admit it!" said Aunt Amanda. "We vow and de- 
 clare it! The very idea !" 
 
 "I am sorry to hear it," said the voice. "We are 
 deeply disappointed. We of course cannot doubt the 
 word of a lady, but we were almost sure we had found 
 them. We have been searching for pirates for a long 
 time, and we were advised that they lived somewhere 
 near here. We must have missed our way. Could 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 151 
 
 you perhaps direct us? It is a place called High 
 Dudgeon." 
 
 "You bet we could," said Toby, "but we won't. We 
 are running away from there, and you had better run 
 too." 
 
 "Then perhaps you happen to know the whereabouts 
 of a place called Low Dudgeon, where the pirates for- 
 merly lived?" 
 
 "We do," said Toby. "You are about half-way now 
 between High Dudgeon and Low Dudgeon; and you 
 had better get out of this neighborhood as fast as you 
 can." 
 
 "This Is very interesting," said the voice. "I feel 
 that you will be able to give us some valuable infor- 
 mation. If you have no objection, we will walk behind 
 you until we come to a place where there is more light, 
 when we will have a few minutes' conversation on this 
 interesting subject." 
 
 The seven dark figures stood aside, and the mules 
 moved onward. The seven figures walked behind. 
 
 In five minutes they reached a patch of ground where 
 the moon shone brightly through the trees, and the 
 riders drew in their animals, and turned to look at the 
 figures who now marched sedately up beside them. 
 These figures stood in a row facing the riders, and six 
 of them turned their heads to the right, looking towards 
 the first in the row, who was probably their leader. 
 
 They were seven tall men, dressed in black frock 
 coats and striped trousers, with pearl-gray spats; but 
 instead of high silk hats each wore a small black skull- 
 cap, as more convenient, no doubt, for their rough life 
 in the forest. It could be seen that they were no or- 
 dinary men; they looked like professors at college; 
 their faces were thoughtful and even intellectual; each 
 one wore spectacles; they squinted as if from too much 
 poring over books by lamplight. The one at the head 
 of the row was fat, with mutton-chop whiskers, and 
 
152 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 his frock coat was buttoned tight over a round stom- 
 ach. He spoke in the same voice which they had 
 heard in the dark. 
 
 "I beg your pardon," said he. "If you will be so 
 kind as to direct us either to High Dudgeon or to Low 
 Dudgeon, we will not fail to gratefully acknowledge — " 
 
 "Aha!" said one of the others, in a playful tone. 
 "A split infinitive, Professor!" 
 
 "I beg your pardon. A slight inadvertence. To 
 acknowledge gratefully your kind — " 
 
 "There's no time to talk now," said Toby. "We are 
 running away from these bloodthirsty cut-throats, and 
 if they catch us we are dead, as sure as you're born. 
 I'll tell you what we will do. We'll all keep on to 
 Low Dudgeon, and we'll go in there, if we can get in, 
 and decide there what we had better do. It looked 
 like a strong tower, and we would certainly be as 
 safe inside there as out of doors, if the pirates should 
 come along." 
 
 The Professor looked down the line of his com- 
 panions. "What is the sense of the Committee on this 
 proposal?" said he. "Ah, Very good. We are 
 agreed. Proceed, my dear sir." 
 
 "One minute," said Aunt Amanda. "Excuse my 
 asking, but I should like to know who you are, any- 
 way." 
 
 The Professor waved a fat hand towards his com- 
 panions, and looking at Aunt Amanda, said: 
 
 "We belong, madam, to the Society for Piratical 
 Research, under the patronage of his gracious Majesty, 
 the King of this Island. You behold before you a 
 committee of that Society; the Committee on Doubtful 
 and Fabulous Tales, sometimes called for the sake of 
 brevity, from the initials of its title, the Daft Com- 
 mittee. As Third Vice-President of the Society for 
 Piratical Research, I have the honour to be Chairman 
 of the Daft Committee. The seat of our Society is 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 153 
 
 far from here, in the principal city of this kingdom, the 
 famous City of Towers, blest as the residence of his 
 gracious Majesty, the most learned and liberal of 
 princes. Our camp, which we made only late this 
 evening, lies at no great distance from this spot. We 
 did not wish to delay our researches until morning, 
 and so, as Third Vice-President of the Society for 
 Piratical Research, and Chairman of the Daft Com- 
 mittee, I — " 
 
 "Much obliged," said Toby. "We've no time to 
 listen to any more. We must get on." 
 
 The Daft Committee, led by the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent, fell in behind the mules, and the whole party 
 moved forward, as rapidly as the mules and the com- 
 mittee could walk. 
 
 Aunt Amanda felt far from easy at the prospect of 
 entering Low Dudgeon; but she had told Toby some- 
 thing of Ketch's strange words and manner regarding 
 that place, and she was glad to leave the responsibil- 
 ity to him. Their dark and silent progress through 
 the forest continued, and when they had gone what 
 they thought must have been about half a mile, they 
 knew they must be near their destination. Every eye 
 was watchful and every ear was alert. A grunt from 
 Toby in advance notified the others that they had ar- 
 rived, and they filed out of the forest into the clear- 
 ing, and saw before them the squat tower of Low 
 Dudgeon in the moonlight. 
 
 The same light as before appeared from within, 
 through the upper slits in the side of the tower. As 
 they drew in their mules at the edge of the clearing, the 
 Daft Committee came up, and the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent spoke in a low voice. 
 
 "I presume," he said, "that this is Low Dudgeon. 
 I have heard of it, but I have never seen it. It was 
 formerly, some hundred years ago, the headquarters 
 of the pirates. But something occurred here, I do 
 
154 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 not know what, which impelled the pirates to move. 
 They accordingly built themselves a much better resi- 
 dence, known as High Dudgeon, where I understand 
 they now live. I do not believe that Low Dudgeon 
 has been occupied smce. Gentlemen," he said, turning 
 to his companions, "we are fortunate in having found 
 this interesting place at last, after so much trouble. 
 It is the very spot in which to begin our researches." 
 
 A murmur of approval arose from the other mem- 
 bers of the committee. 
 
 *'I don't know whether it's occupied or not," said 
 Aunt Amanda. "Ketch told me that no one lives 
 there, and that there's thirteen of 'em; and he seemed 
 to be afraid of the place. And there's a light up 
 there. I don't understand it." 
 
 "Gentlemen," said the Third Vice-President, "is 
 it the sense of the committee that we begin our re- 
 searches in Low Dudgeon?" 
 
 Every member of the Daft Committee murmured 
 his assent. 
 
 "If we go into the forest," said Toby, "we may be 
 caught; if we go in here, we are safe for a while, any- 
 way, and we can decide there what we had better do; 
 maybe these gentlemen can send for help. Anyway, 
 let's get in if we can." 
 
 The riders dismounted from their mules and tied 
 them to trees; in another moment the whole party 
 were standing before the door of the tower. 
 
 "Better knock," said Toby. 
 
 They knocked, and knocked again; there was no 
 answer. 
 
 "Aunt Amanda," said Toby, "try your key." 
 
 Aunt Amanda tried the key, and it fitted; she turned 
 it, and the lock snapped back. Toby thrust open the 
 door. 
 
 The company entered, and Toby took the key and 
 locked the door behind them. They were in a dark 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 155 
 
 passage, near the foot of a winding stair. "We had 
 better go up where the light is," said Toby, in a 
 whisper. 
 
 They went cautiously and noiselessly up the stair 
 to the landing. There they found themselves in a hall, 
 and at a little distance down the hall they saw a dim 
 light shining under a closed door. "There it is," said 
 Toby. "Come on." 
 
 With the same breathless caution they tiptoed to the 
 door. It had no lock, and Toby turned the knob and 
 slowly pushed it open. 
 
 "Ah!" said Toby, in a frightened gasp, arid started 
 back. 
 
 The others crowded at his back and pushed him 
 forward. The Third Vice-President of the Society for 
 Piratical Research brushed past him into the room, and 
 the other six members followed him. The party of 
 fugitives moved slowly in after them. 
 
 In the middle of the room was a large round table. 
 In the center of this table stood some twenty wax 
 tapers in silver candlesticks, burning brightly; and 
 seated around the table were thirteen men. 
 
 Not one of these men moved as the party came into 
 the room. Not a limb nor muscle stirred. The Third 
 Vice-President coughed aloud. Still none of the men 
 moved so much as a finger. The whole party came 
 forward to the table and stood close behind the thirr 
 teen men and examined them. They were dead. 
 
 They were sitting in all positions. Food was be- 
 fore them, as if they were in the midst of a meal. 
 Some were leaning across the table as if in conversa- 
 tion. Some were in the act of cutting meat on their 
 plates, some in the act of putting forks to their mouths. 
 Every face was ghastly white, and every eye was fixed 
 in a vacant stare. 
 
 "See !" said Toby, in a whisper, pointing to their 
 backs. 
 
156 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 From the back of each was sticking the handle of a 
 knife, the blade of which was buried in the flesh to 
 the hilt. 
 
 Aunt Amanda sank on Toby's shoulder for a mo- 
 ment, but she soon recovered. Freddie grasped Toby's 
 hand. 
 
 ''Look," said Toby. "They must be pirates." 
 
 Each head was bound with a bright-colored kerchief, 
 and as the horrified company examined the dead men 
 closer, it was seen that they all wore knee breeches. 
 A long dagger was sticking upright in the table, just 
 under the candles. Pinned by this dagger to the table 
 was a large sheet of white paper, and there was 
 evidently writing on it. 
 
 The Third Vice-President had apparently little fear 
 of thirteen dead men; he went directly to the table, 
 and reaching across between two of the stiff figures 
 drew the dagger from the table and took from the 
 dagger's point the sheet of paper. He adjusted his 
 spectacles, turned his back to the candles so as to ob- 
 tain a good light on the paper, and read from it aloud: 
 
 "Thus does Captain Lingo serve All Traitors," 
 
 For a moment there was silence. Then Aunt 
 Amanda spoke sharply. 
 
 "The wicked villain!" said she. "Thirteen of his 
 men dead at once, by his own hand! No wonder the 
 six that are left are afraid of him! No wonder they 
 don't like this place ! Oh the wicked scoundrel 1 If 
 I had him here, I declare I would — " 
 
 She paused suddenly and listened. There was a 
 stealthy creaking on the stairs. It grew more distinct; 
 then it stopped, and there was silence. 
 
 The thirteen in their chairs made no motion what- 
 ever; but the living turned with one accord towards 
 the open doorway of the room. They waited with 
 bated breath. In another moment Captain Lingo 
 himself was standing in the doorway, a pistol in his 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 157 
 
 right hand and a knife in his left. Without a word 
 he advanced into the room, and behind him came his 
 six men, shrinking obviously away from the sight of 
 their thirteen murdered friends. 
 
 As Captain Lingo came to a stand before his recent 
 prisoners, his eyes blazed, and with his right thumb he 
 cocked his pistol. Each of his men held a pistol in 
 his right hand and a cutlass in his left, and each cocked 
 his pistol with his thumb. 
 
 The Third Vice-President of the Society for Piratical 
 Research, who seemed in no wise disconcerted, stepped 
 forward and addressed the pirate. 
 
 "Captain Lingo, I presume?" 
 
 "Ay, ay; be quick. I must finish this business 
 quickly." 
 
 "My committee and myself have been long anxious, 
 sir, in the interest of science, to make your acquaint- 
 ance. I rejoice at this opportunity." 
 
 "Oh, indeed," said Captain Lingo, drily. 
 
 "Yes, sir; I assure you I am delighted. I believe 
 I have the pleasure of speaking to a subject of King 
 James the Second." 
 
 "Ay, ay," said Lingo, eyeing him suspiciously. "What 
 then?" 
 
 "Then the records of our Society are vindicated. 
 They go back, my dear sir, some two hundred years; 
 and they contain, from various sources, an unbroken ac- 
 count of Captain Lingo and his exploits from the time 
 of James the Second to the present. But the sources of 
 our information were not always reliable; some doubts 
 were thrown upon our records by jealous persons out- 
 side the Society; and as it is the special business of the 
 Committee on Doubtful and Fabulous Tales to look 
 into such matters, the Committee is here before you 
 at the present moment in the interest of truth. No 
 member of our Society has ever seen Captain Lingo, 
 and the jealous persons I have mentioned' pretend 
 
is8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 that no such person has ever existed. The chief mis- 
 sion of our Committee is to vindicate our records by 
 a sight of Captain Lingo himself. Thanks to you, sir, 
 that has now been done. Our next mission is to de- 
 termine for our Society this most important question : 
 are you aHve or dead.'"' 
 
 At this, the captain's brows came together in a ter- 
 rible frown; the scar across his cheek and chin turned 
 very white; and he glared under his eyebrows danger- 
 ously at the complacent Third Vice-President. His 
 lips parted, showing his white teeth clenched tight to- 
 gether. He started to speak through his clenched 
 teeth, and leveled his pistol straight at the Third Vice- 
 President's breast; but at that moment a cry from the 
 Churchwarden startled everybody. 
 
 "Bless my soul! Why didn't I never once think of 
 this before ? These men ain't real persons at all ! How 
 could they be, after two hundred years? They're no 
 better than wicked spirits! That's what they are, 
 wicked spirits! Why didn't we think of that before? 
 Aha! my fine friends, Fve got a little medicine here 
 for you ! Ha ! ha !" 
 
 He drew forth from his back pocket a little per- 
 fume bottle, and waved it over his head. 
 
 "Hurrah!" he cried. "Hurrah for the Odour of 
 Sanctity!" And with these words thei Churchwarden 
 uncorked the bottle, and sprinkled a few drops of his 
 perfume on the floor, directly at the feet of Captain 
 Lingo. 
 
 A sharp odour instantly filled the air; so sharp that 
 it brought tears to the eyes of everyone. Captain 
 Lingo and his men stepped quickly backward, but it 
 was too late. A look of pained surprise crept over 
 their faces, and remained fixed there. Their feet 
 stood rooted to the floor, and the hands which held 
 the cutlasses and pistols stiffened and became rigid. 
 Not one of them could move an eye-lash. Their out- 
 
SOCIETY FOR PIRATICAL RESEARCH 159 
 
 lines began to waver; their faces began to be dim 
 and vague, as if covered with close white veils; from 
 their outsides inward they slowly faded, melted, dis- 
 solved; nothing remained of any of them but a wraith, 
 a vapor, a puff of smoke, remotely in the shape of a 
 human being; and then that also vanished; nothing re- 
 mained; the place where they had been was empty. 
 
 All eyes turned to the table where the thirteen mur- 
 dered pirates had been sitting. They were gone. Their 
 chairs were vacant. 
 
 The Churchwarden calmly put the stopper in his 
 bottle and restored it to his pocket. 
 
 "Humph!" said he. "Nothing like Odour of Sanc- 
 tity. Never knew it to fail. No harm to human 
 persons, but no wicked spirit as ever lived can stand 
 against it; and a blessed good thing the bottle didn't 
 break as we came down the waterfall. No perfumery 
 in this world like Odour of Sanctity 1" 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 A KNOCK AT THE DOOR 
 
 THE Third Vice-President and his fellow-mem- 
 bers of the Daft Committee seated themselves 
 in the chairs just vacated by the thirteen mur- 
 dered pirates. Nothing could have persuaded any of 
 the others to sit in those dreadful seats; but no feeling 
 of this sort appeared to disturb the Committee, and 
 they evidently saw no reason why they should not be 
 comfortable. 
 
 The Third Vice-President drummed on the table with 
 his fingers, and frowned to himself in silence. One of 
 the Committee, taking his skull-cap from his head and 
 smoothing it thoughtfully with his hand, glanced up 
 at the Chairman and said: 
 
 "I fear. Professor, that our hopes are dashed. It 
 is nothing less than disastrous." 
 
 "You are right, my dear sir," said the Chairman. 
 "It is a terrible misfortune; terrible indeed. And just 
 when we were on the point of — " 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Toby in astonishment. "Do 
 you mean to say you are sorry those rascally pirates 
 are gone?" 
 
 "My dear sir," said the Chairman, very patiently, 
 "I am finding no fault. I do not wish to blame any- 
 one. The loss of these pirates to science is one that 
 can never be compensated. The Society for Piratical 
 Research Is now at an end. There are no other pirates 
 on this Island, and you must see for yourselves that 
 without pirates our society must perish. It Is a 
 woful— " 
 
 1 60 
 
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR i6i 
 
 "Well, I never!" said Aunt Amanda. "Of all 
 things! Do you dare to sit there and tell me you'd 
 rather see us all murdered by pirates than — " 
 
 "Be calm, my friends," said the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent, placidly. "I have already said that I do not 
 wish to find fault. I desire to be generous. It is my 
 wish. In fact, I forgive you freely. Whatever bit- 
 terness you may have caused us, we are willing to be- 
 lieve that it was not intentional. The Daft Com- 
 mittee forgives you; freely. Let us be peaceful. It 
 only remains to decide what steps we shall take to meet 
 the future. I submit to you this question : whether we 
 shall first go to the pirates' home in High Dudgeon, or 
 return at once to the City of Towers, to confess our 
 failure and receive our — Hark! I thought I heard a 
 knock." 
 
 Everyone listened. There was indeed the sound of 
 knocking, muffled but quite audible. The group stand- 
 ing about the table looked from one to another in si- 
 lence. Was this some new danger? Were there other 
 pirates to be reckoned with? The Churchwarden put 
 his hand to his back pocket, to be ready with his bottle. 
 
 "I think it comes from within this room," said the 
 Third Vice-President. 
 
 All eyes examined the room. The walls were un- 
 broken, except by window-slits on one side, the open 
 doorway on another, and on a third a closed door, 
 which no one had before observed. Toby walked 
 over to this closed door, and placed his ear against it. 
 A muffled knock sounded from within. 
 
 Toby nodded his head to the others, and tried the 
 door. It was locked. "Lend me your key, Aunt 
 Amanda," said he; and when she had given it to him 
 he inserted it in the lock and turned it and threw wide 
 the door. Inside was a dark closet hung with cloaks. 
 On the floor sat a man. 
 
 Toby stepped back in amazement. The man sat 
 
1 62 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 motionless, his legs crossed, gazing out into the lighted 
 room. After a second or two he rose, and stood in 
 the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He said not a word, 
 but continued to rub his eyes untiL they evidently 
 became used to the light, and gave two or three sniffs, 
 as if he smelt an odour, and found it far from 
 agreeable. 
 
 He was a thickset man, dressed in sailor's clothes, 
 in no way like the clothes the pirates had worn. His 
 eyes were small and very close together; his nose was 
 broken and flat; his lower jaw stuck out beyond his 
 upper; an unpleasant fellow enough, if looks were any- 
 thing. In his belt he carried a long knife. His sailor 
 collar was cut low in front, and his chest was tattooed 
 in red and blue ink. 
 
 As he hesitated in the doorway, sniffing the air uneas- 
 ily and blinking his eyes, the Chairman of the Daft 
 Committee spoke in his calm voice. 
 
 "Come in, my good sir," said he. "I should like 
 to take the liberty of asking you a few questions." 
 
 The sailorman walked slowly into the room and 
 looked about him. 
 
 "What's that there smell in the air?" said he. 
 
 "Nothing only my Odour of Sanctity," said the 
 Churchwarden. 
 
 "I don't like it," said the sailorman. 
 
 "I can't say that I like it much myself," said the 
 Third Vice-President, "but it Is too faint now to be 
 disagreeable. Pray be seated, sir." One of the Com- 
 mittee rose and offered the sailorman his chair. The 
 sailor sat down and gazed at the Third Vice-President, 
 who went on with his speech. "You need have no fear, 
 sir; If Captain Lingo causes you any uneasiness, I may 
 tell you that he is gone, never to return; and all his 
 men with him; even the thirteen dead men who were 
 sitting in these chairs until a few minutes ago." 
 
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR 163 
 
 "What!" said the sailor. "Has them thirteen men 
 been a-sitting here all these years?" 
 
 "My dear sir," said the Third Vice-President, "I as- 
 sure you we saw them with our own eyes. But you will 
 perhaps be kind enough to tell us who you are, and 
 how you came to be locked up in that closet." 
 
 "Humph!" said the sailor, hesitating. "I don't 
 know who you are, nor what you're doing in this here 
 place. However, if Lingo's gone, and — Oh well, I 
 might as well tell you. By the looks of you, I ain't got 
 much cause to be afraid." 
 
 "Your courtesy under the circumstances will be much 
 appreciated," said the Third Vice-President. 
 
 "Courtesy be blowed," said the sailorman. "Well, 
 here goes. I'm Matthew Speak, able-bodied seaman, 
 of the brig Cotton Mather, out of New Bedford, 
 Reuben Higginson, master." 
 
 "What!" cried Aunt Amanda, almost shrieking. 
 "Are you — ? The Cotton Mather! Reuben Higgin- 
 son! Did you know him? It ain't possible! I can't 
 believe it!" 
 
 "It ain't nothing to me whether you believes it or 
 not. I shipped with Reuben Higginson at New Bed- 
 ford and landed here with him and his crew on this 
 same identical Island, all tight and safe; here on Cor- 
 rection Island, as the cap'n called it." 
 
 "What!" cried Aunt Amanda again. "Is this Cor- 
 rection Island? Well, I never! Here we are on 
 Correction Island after all, and we never knew it! Are 
 you sure?" 
 
 "That's what he called it, believe me or not. It 
 ain't nothing to me, but I seen It on the map I sold 
 to Mizzen, and the cap'n wrote it there in his own 
 handwrite; that's all I know; but maybe if you'd hunt 
 up this here Lemuel Mizzen, a sailor with a patch 
 on one eye and — " 
 
 "Well, of all things!" exclaimed Aunt Amanda. 
 
1 64 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "I wouldn't 'a' believed it. 
 Lemuel Mizzen!" 
 
 "Perhaps you will be so good as to tell us — " began 
 the Third Vice-President. 
 
 "Freddie," said Aunt Amanda, "have you got the 
 map?" ^ 
 
 "Yes'm," said Freddie, and produced it from his 
 pocket. 
 
 Aunt Amanda took it from him and spread it open 
 on the table before Matthew Speak. The sailorman 
 glanced at it and nodded his head. 
 
 "That's it," said he. "I don't know how you coiiie 
 by it, but that's it. Higginson was lost with the Cotton 
 Mather in a storm on his way back to New Bedford, 
 and a lucky chance for me I wasn't aboard. A good 
 while afterwards a fisherman off of this here Island 
 picked up the map at sea in a bottle, and I got it off'n 
 him; he squealed a good bit when I stuck him, but 
 I got it, right enough. And then along comes Mizzen, 
 me being in hiding, and I sold it to him for a set of 
 false whiskers and a tattoo-needle." 
 
 "Yes, yes," said Freddie eagerly. "Mr. Mizzen 
 told me about it." 
 
 "When Higginson sailed away from here in the Cot- 
 ton Mather, I didn't go with him. I ran away. Ay, 
 a runaway sailor, that's what I am. I liked the Span- 
 ish Main, and I didn't like Higginson; nor yet he didn't 
 like me, neither. But before he sailed, I left my mark 
 on him, I did ; four of his teeth out and a black eye ; and 
 I won't say but what he broke my nose for me too, 
 right enough. For a Quaker, he hit pretty good. And 
 I stole this bit of writing from him; probably it ain't 
 no account, but Higginson he seemed tO' set great store 
 by it, so I stole it, and here It is." He took from his 
 pocket a sheet of folded paper and laid It on the 
 table beside the map; it was much soiled, and was evi- 
 dently very old. He sniffed the air once or twice, 
 
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR 1 6s 
 
 and frowned. "I don't like this here smell. It's no 
 good. I say I don't like it. It makes me feel queer. 
 Well, I guess the old man thought this here bit of 
 writing was safe ni his locker right up to the last; I 
 expect he never missed it until he went to put it into the 
 bottle with the map and throw it overboard." He 
 shook the paper in his hand and dropped it again on 
 the table. "And then," he went on, "I fell in with 
 Lingo, and joined his crew." 
 
 "Look here," said Toby, "how long ago was all 
 this?" 
 
 "How do I know?" said Speak. "I've been shut 
 up in that there cupboard so long I ain't got no account 
 of time. But I remember just before we sailed from 
 New Bedford there was a lot of crazy people talkin' 
 about getting up a fight with England and breakin' 
 loose from her, and being free and independent and 
 what not — a great pack of foolish nonsense — and 
 something or other about some kind of a tea-party 
 in Boston — I dunno. I ain't never heard what come 
 of it. Most likely nothin' at all. I guess it must have 
 been a good while ago. I dunno." 
 
 The Churchwarden started, and put his hand to his 
 back pocket. "Are you as old as that?" said he. 
 
 "No older nor what you be, old fat-chaps," said 
 Speak. "You attend to your own age, and I'll attend 
 to mine." 
 
 "Never mind," said the Third Vice-President, 
 hastily. "Pray tell us how you came to be locked up 
 in that closet." 
 
 "Gimme a chanc't," said Speak. "I'd tell you If 
 you'd gimme a chanc't. I joined Lingo. I served him 
 true and faithful, and many a prize we've taken to- 
 gether, and watched many a smart lad walk the plank, 
 that's a fact. Well, thirteen of his men laid a plan 
 to go to his treasure-cave where all his treasure was 
 hid, and make off with it; steal it; ay, ay; steal it, mind 
 
1 66 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 you; as bad as that. Now me, I ain't got no patience 
 with dishonesty; I'm all for being honest, I am; so, 
 being as 1 had learned about this here plan, I went 
 and told the captain. He never winked an eye, not 
 him, but off he sent his other six men, out of the way, 
 and made a fine supper here for them thirteen and 
 sat down with them to it; ay, that he did. But first 
 he gets a little white powder out of a silver box and 
 takes it to Mother Ketch and orders her to put it in 
 their food; and she won't, not she, and nothing he 
 can do can make her; so he comes to me, and being as 
 I hates dishonesty, 1 puts the powder in their food, 
 and they eats it. Only, being kind of nervous, as you 
 might say, I spills about two-thirds of it on my way 
 upstairs in the dark; and there ain't enough left to do 
 the work complete. What was_left I put in the food 
 on the table, and at that minute up the stairs comes 
 the whole thirteen with the captain at their head, and 
 I whips into that there cupboard and shuts the door, 
 a-trembling in my boots for fear of what the captain's 
 going to do to me when he finds out the powder won't 
 work only partly. I can hear 'em all set down to the 
 table laughin' hearty, and the captain's voice a-crackin' 
 jokes and makin' 'em feel at home; but after a bit I 
 don't hear nobody's voice but only the: captain's, be- 
 cause of the white powder actin' on the others as far 
 as it could, and them probably a-settin' up stiff and 
 tongue-tied in their chairs, unable to move a hand, be- 
 cause of the mite of powder, d'ye see, and me a-settin' 
 quiet in the dark cupboard, a-quakin' all over and won- 
 derin' what the captain was a-goin' to do to me. And 
 after a bit I don't hear the captain's voice no more, 
 and there ain't no sound at all. And I guess the party 
 is over. And in another minute I hears a key turn in 
 the lock of my cupboard door, very soft and easy, and 
 there I am shut up and locked in as tight as pitch; and 
 there I've been ever since." 
 
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR 1 67 
 
 "And serve you jolly well right, too, hif you arsk 
 me," said Mr. Punch, with great disgust. 
 
 "It's the wickedest piece of business all round I ever 
 heard of in my life," said Aunt Amanda, indignantly. 
 "It's my opinion you're as bad as any of them." 
 
 "Worse, if anything," said the Churchwarden, whose 
 hand was still on his back pocket. 
 
 "It's a pity the captain didn't knife you in the back 
 with the rest of 'em," said Toby, angrily. 
 
 Speak's little eyes flashed fire. He drew his knife 
 and held it out threateningly in his hand, and started 
 to rise. But he did not rise. He remained fixed in 
 his chair, though it was easy to see that he was trying 
 ,to get up. He sniffed the air, and his head remained 
 fixed in the act of sniffing. The hand which held the 
 knife continued to hold it out, without moving. A look 
 of alarm came into his eyes. It was evident that he 
 had smelled the Odour of Sanctity, which yet lingered 
 faintly in the room. His outline began to waver; his 
 face became vague; his features ran together; he took 
 on the appearance of vapor; and there in the chair by 
 the table, in place of the thick and solid sailorman, was 
 an almost transparent form of mist or smoke, remotely 
 in the shape of a man. 
 
 Everyone waited to see him vanish. The form still 
 lingered; it did not disappear; it continued to sit in its 
 chair with its hand extended, holding out a shadowy 
 knife. The Odour of Sanctity had lost its full power, 
 and what remained of it was insufficient to make him 
 disappear. 
 
 The Churchwarden pulled out his bottle, and com- 
 menced to uncork it. 
 
 "Stay," said the Third Vice-President, holding up 
 his hand. "I pray you stay. Do not spill any more 
 of that deadly fluid. There has been enough destruc- 
 tion here tonight. I propose that we leave the late 
 Matthew Speak as he is. He belongs to the Society 
 
1 68 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 for Piratical Research. He is the Last of the Pirates, 
 and I beg leave to claim him for the Society. As an 
 exhibit, he will be highly valued. We shall from time 
 to time conduct hither parties of the learned or the 
 curious to view the Last of the Pirates. Nothing could 
 be better. Our Society is now revived. I am im- 
 mensely gratified. Low Dudgeon shall be known as 
 the only Museum in the world with but a single Ex- 
 hibit. Let the late Matthew Speak repose here in his 
 chair as a permanent relic of a, bygone age; the sole 
 Exhibit in a Museum all his own. The interest of such 
 an Exhibit will doubtless, warrant a small charge at 
 the door." 
 
 The Committee murmured an earnest approval. 
 The Churchwarden looked at his companions, and put 
 the bottle back into his pocket with a sigh. 
 
 "I thank you," said the Third Vice-President. "We 
 will now proceed to consider our next step." 
 
 "I simply can't stay in this room," exclaimed Aunt 
 Amanda, "with that thing sitting in that chair." 
 
 "It is nothing, madam, I assure you," said the Third 
 Vice-President. "See!" 
 
 He leaned over and passed his hand directly through 
 the body in the chair; in at the breast and out at the 
 back. 
 
 "Oh!" cried Aunt Amanda; and her friends all 
 gasped; but the Committee only nodded their heads 
 in token of their interest. 
 
 "You see it is nothing," said the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent. "We will now look at the paper which our de- 
 parted friend has left." 
 
 He picked up the paper from the table where Speak 
 had left it, adjusted his spectacles, turned his back to 
 the candles so as to get a good light, and read the paper 
 through to himself. He then glanced at the company 
 and read aloud: 
 
 "Shiraz the Rug-Merchant. 
 
A KNOCK AT THE DOOR 169 
 
 "Outside the Gate of Wanderers, six hundred Paces 
 to the Right, along the Wall. 
 
 "Thee shall know his Shop by certain Numbers, to 
 wit: 3101310. 
 
 "If he Hide himself, say these words : Shagll Jam- 
 shid Shahriman. 
 
 "Thee shall bi^y of his Wares; not that which he 
 shall offer First, nor Second; but that which he 
 shall offer Third, that thee shall Buy; and for that 
 thee shall Pay whatever he shall Demand. 
 
 "Thereafter thee shall do whatever he shall Direct. 
 
 "But enter not Into the City but by the Shop of Shiraz 
 the Rug-Merchant." 
 
 There was silence for a moment, then Aunt Amanda 
 said: 
 
 "That's the way we are to get those wonderful things 
 the map speaks of. It doesn't seem to tell us much, 
 though. Where do you suppose is this Gate of Wan- 
 derers?" 
 
 "That, dear madam," said the Third Vice-President, 
 "Is one of the gates of our City of Towers. We know 
 it very well, of course." 
 
 "Then," said Aunt Amanda, "as captain of my party, 
 my orders is that we go there at once." 
 
 "Much good would that do," said Toby. "We've 
 got to buy something of this here Shiraz, if that's his 
 name, and pay anything he asks, too. And there ain't 
 a penny amongst us. How could we buy anything?" 
 
 "The pirates' treasure!" cried Freddie. "The 
 pirates' treasure in the cave!" 
 
 "By crackey!" said Toby. "I clean forgot all about 
 It. Good for you, Freddie ! Talk about money to buy 
 things with! We'll buy out that old Shiraz's whole 
 shop! The treasure belongs to us, as sure as you're 
 born. By crickets, we're in luck." 
 
 "If you will pardon me," said the Third VIce-PresI- 
 
lyo THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 dent, "we know nothing of any treasure, and if you 
 would be so good as to " 
 
 "I will," said Aunt Amanda, and she quickly ex- 
 plained the whole matter. The Daft Committee, in- 
 cluding its Chairman, was much impressed. 
 
 "We do not wish to intrude," said the Chairman, 
 "but if we could be of any service " 
 
 "Of course!" cried Toby. "You've got to help us 
 get the treasure out of the cave, and then help us 
 to find the City of Towers. And if you'll help us, why 
 what I say is, the Committee ought to have a share 
 of the treasure. Is that right?" 
 
 Toby's friends willingly agreed, and the Committee 
 gladly consented to go with them to the Treasure Cave 
 and then to the City of Towers. 
 
 "The Society for Piratical Research," said the Third 
 Vice-President, "is coming back to life! We now have 
 a Museum with one Exhibit, and we are about to ac- 
 quire a Fund of Money. Come, my friends, it Is time 
 to depart. If you will go out first, I will remain and 
 blow out the candles. We must remember to close the 
 door behind us, for a draught of air would probably 
 blow the late Mr. Matthew Speak out of the window." 
 
 In a few moments the whole party was standing In 
 the moonlight on the grass before the deserted tower 
 of Low Dudgeon. Not quite deserted, however; in 
 every mind was a picture of a misty and vapory form, 
 remotely In the shape of a man, sitting motionless in 
 a chair beside a table In a dark and silent room. 
 
 "All right," said Toby, "now for the Treasure Cave 
 and the City of Towers." 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE CITY OF TOWERS 
 
 A T the Pirates' Cave, the task of getting out the 
 A% treasure proved very difficult, but it was done 
 -^ -^ at last. 
 
 The Committee's camp In the forest had supplied 
 abundance of provisions, and a great number of ani- 
 mals ; the Committee traveled in luxury. 
 
 On the level ground where Mr. Hanlon had given 
 his exhibition of head-work, the toilers were now rest- 
 ing in the hot sun, and drying their garments, thor- 
 oughly soaked by their trips in and out of the cave, 
 under the water-fall. They looked with intense delight 
 on the boxes and bags which lay before them. 
 
 "What I say is," said Toby, "let's divide the treas- 
 ure now, so we won't have to bother about it when we 
 get to the City of Towers." 
 
 "How beautiful is nature !" said the Sly Old Codger. 
 ■"Behold that wide expanse of field and forest resting 
 so — so — expansively beneath the orb of day ! A true, 
 true work of nature ! At such a moment as this, dear 
 friends, a warm feeling invades my heart, a feeling of 
 — of — Did I hear a suggestion to divide the treasure?" 
 
 The division was carefully made, and when it was 
 done, and each person had declared himself well satis- 
 fied, each share was packed separately, and the treas- 
 ure loaded on the backs of the extra mules. It was a 
 princely fortune. 
 
 "Do you suppose," said the Old Codger with the 
 Wooden Leg, "that — er — I shall be able to obtain, in 
 
 171 
 
172 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 the City of Towers, such a thing as a pipeful — ahem ! — 
 a pipeful of tobacco?" 
 
 "Never fear," said the Third Vice-President. "I 
 fancy you will be able to buy there all the tobacco you 
 can use." 
 
 "Wery sorry I am to 'ear it," said Mr. Punch. "Hi 
 regard the tobacco 'abit as a wery reprehensible 'abit. 
 Wery." 
 
 "Oh, you do!" said Toby, glaring at him. 
 
 "Wery reprehensible indeed," went on Mr. Punch, 
 calmly. "My conscience 'as troubled me for a long 
 time by reason of my position in the tobacco trade. 
 Being posted, as one may s'y, in a wery hadwantageous 
 position for hobserwation, I 'ave seen too much, en- 
 tirely too much, of the sad effects of the hobnoxious 
 weed. Many a time 'ave I wept to myself, when the 
 hobserver may 'ave thought it was only rain on me 
 cheek, to see 'em, young and hold, going in and hout 
 of Toby Littleback's shop, knowing what would come 
 of it sooner or later, and me a-standing there hencour- 
 aging of 'em in, as one may s'y, with me packet of 
 cigars in me 'and. Hoften enough 'ave I wished to 
 give it hup and embark in a hoccupation less repre- 
 hensible; many a time 'ave I said to myself, 'Ho, hif 
 I could only be hinnocent once, just once.' And now 
 Hi shall put be'ind me hall the d'ys of me sinful past, 
 and with my share of the treasure Hi shall open a shop 
 for the purveying of tripe." 
 
 "There's a deal more harm been done by tripe than 
 ever there was by tobacco," said Toby. 
 
 "There is a total absence of nicotine in tripe," said 
 Mr. Punch, loftily. "At least, such is my hinformation. 
 And I carn't 'elp 'oping that my friend Littleback will 
 reform hisself, now that 'e can afford it, and engage in 
 some pursuit less 'armful to the young. Hif I v/as 
 arsked, I would suggest pinking and pleating." 
 
 "You ain't been asked," said Toby, "I can see 
 
THE CITY OF TOWERS 1 73 
 
 myself pinking and pleating. When I want advice 
 what to do with my money, I'll ask you. Tobacco is 
 my line, and tobacco is going to be my line to the end 
 of the chapter, and that's flat. Pinking and pleating! 
 Humph." 
 
 "It's my belief," said the Churchwarden, "after lis- 
 tening to what's been said, pro and con, backwards 
 and forwards, up and down, that if we don't start for 
 the City of Towers, we'll never get there." 
 
 "And what's more," said Toby, "when I get back 
 I'm going to have an Indian outside my door, instead 
 of a tripe-seller." 
 
 "Excuse me," said the Third Vice-President. "I am 
 sorry to interrupt this interesting discussion, but we 
 really ought to be going. Gentlemen," to the Com- 
 mittee, "our steeds are waiting. To the City of 
 Towers !" 
 
 The journey which now commenced proved to be a 
 very long one. Day after day the pilgrims plodded 
 through a wilderness of forest and field, over streams, 
 across mountains, down into deep valleys and up again, 
 camping at night wherever they happened to find water 
 and wood, and sleeping under the stars In blankets on 
 beds of boughs. The moon was gone before their 
 journey was over. 
 
 One morning the trail brought them down on a 
 mountain-side to a well-paved road. This road they 
 followed for some hours, and it brought them finally 
 to the top of a gentle hill, covered with trees. From 
 the top of this hill they saw a striking scene. 
 
 Stretching away from the foot of the hill lay a great 
 rolling valley, up which the road ran as straight as a 
 ribbon. Far away, at the end of the road, against a 
 dark wooded mountain, stood a great city, walled 
 around with a high wall, and shining in the sun with 
 white and gold domes and turrets and towers. The 
 rear of the city rose along the lower slope of the moun- 
 
174 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 tain, and on the top of the mountain, concealing its 
 peak, lay a cloud; black below, and glittering with sun- 
 light at the edges. It hung there motionless during 
 the time when the watchers sat watching the scene. 
 Directly under the cloud, on the slope where the far- 
 thest portion of the city lay, was an open space among 
 the buildings, like a great garden or park, and in the 
 midst of it a vast white building with a flat roof, great 
 enough for the palace of a king. That which struck 
 the strangers most, at their first look, was the great 
 number of towers which rose at all points in the city; 
 surely so many towers had never been gotten together 
 in one place before; and the most remarkable one of 
 them was the tower which rose from just behind the 
 great white building in the park. It was dull In colour, 
 and doubtless of brick; It was round In shape, tapering 
 gradually upwards. It rose to a height which none of 
 the strangers would have thought possible, had they 
 not seen it with their own eyes; it rose straight to the 
 cloud which hung motionless upon the mountain; It 
 pierced the cloud, and its top was lost to view in the 
 cloud or above it. 
 
 "The City of Towers!" said the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent, waving his arm In that direction. "The Gate of 
 Wanderers is before us, at the end of the road." 
 
 The party urged their animals forward down the 
 hill-side, and pressed on until noon, when they halted 
 for rest and refreshment In a wood beside the road. 
 There they sat at their ease on the grass, and the Third 
 Vice-President looked from one to another, and spoke 
 as follows: 
 
 "My friends, I must tell you the story of the Towers. 
 Our King, you must know, Is a handsome and amiable 
 man, in appearance about thirty years of age. When 
 I tell you that he has been our king for more than 
 forty years, you will be surprised. His wife was a 
 princess of some few years less than his own, and of 
 
THE CITY OF TOWERS 175 
 
 a beauty unequalled in the kingdom. Her wedding 
 ring, the gift of her husband, was a single ruby in a 
 plain gold band, and this ring she was never known 
 to remove from her wedding-finger for a single mo- 
 ment. She was blessed with three beautiful children, 
 two boys and a girl, the oldest of whom was nearly 
 nine years of age. 
 
 "When the prince, our present King, was thirty 
 years old, his father the King, who was then alive, 
 gave a great ball at the palace, and at this ball the old 
 King declared to the assembled court that he desired 
 to build a tower; a mighty tower, higher than any 
 other in the world, where he might seek repose from 
 time to time; a tower so tall that it would reach the 
 cloud that hangs perpetually on the mountain. To him 
 who should build such a tower in the shortest time 
 the King would give any reward which the fortunate 
 bidder might ask. The old King laughed as he made 
 his offer, and it was plain that he was only half serious; 
 but many of the richest of his nobility desired the prize, 
 and contended for it earnestly. One proposed to erect 
 the tower in ten years, another in eight, and one was 
 found who was willing to promise it in six years and 
 a half; but these terms were all too long. The King 
 was old, and he would not wait so long. 
 
 " 'Is there no one,' said the old King at last, 'who 
 will build rrie my tower in less than six years and a 
 half?' 
 
 " 'I will build it in one night,' said a voice from the 
 rear of the ball-room. 
 
 "An old man came forward and stood before the 
 King; an old man, dressed in a short gown tied in with 
 a cord about the middle, with sandals on his feet, a 
 lantern with a lighted candle in one hand, and a staff 
 in the other. No one in that place had ever seen him 
 before, and no one knew how he had gotten in amongst 
 that glittering company. 
 
176 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 " 'I will build your tower in one night,' said the old 
 man. 
 
 "The old King laughed outright, but he accepted the 
 offer then and there. 'In the morning,' said he, 'if we 
 find the tower finished, you shall have any gift which 
 may be in my power to give.' 
 
 "The old man bowed, and made his way slowly out 
 of the palace. A great shout of laughter went up from 
 the company, and in this the King himself joined 
 heartily; but the joke was, as I must tell you, my friends, 
 that in the morning when the King rose, there stood 
 the tower in fact, behind the palace, so tall that its top 
 could not be seen in the cloud that hung upon the moun- 
 tain; and there, my friends, the tower stands to this 
 day. 
 
 "That evening the old man returned for his reward. 
 He stood before the King, and on the King's right and 
 left stood the prince and the prince's wife and children. 
 The King asked the old man what reward he desired. 
 
 " 'I ask nothing,' replied the other, with a sly smile, 
 'except the ruby ring upon the finger of the Princess.' 
 
 "The Princess turned pale, and hid her hand behind 
 her. She would not give up her wedding-ring; nothing 
 the King could say could move her. He offered the 
 old man anything else he might demand; a dozen ruby 
 rings; a box of ruby rings; anything; but the old man 
 would have nothing but the ring upon the Princess's 
 finger. The Princess grew paler still, as if with fear; 
 but she would not give up the ring. The old man 
 smiled his sly smile again, and went away. 
 
 "The next morning the Princess and her three chil- 
 dren were gone. Search was made everywhere, but 
 they were not to be found. The King and the Prince, 
 mounting the winding stair of the tower, stopped at 
 last when they were all but exhausted, and at that mo- 
 ment heard a sound of weeping from above. They 
 climbed higher, and on the stair they found the children 
 
THE CITY OF TOWERS 177 
 
 sitting, huddled together and weeping bitterly. Their 
 mother was gone, they knew not where; and they did 
 not know how they came to be in the tower. The 
 strongest climbers in the city mounted as far as they 
 could ascend, but the top of the tower was far beyond 
 their reach; they found no Princess. She has never 
 been seen from that day. 
 
 "Soon after, the old King died, and his son came to 
 the throne. As for him, our present King, and his 
 three children, time stopped for them from the day on 
 which the Princess disappeared. They are no older 
 now than when she left them. It is supposed that they 
 are awaiting her return unchanged, in order that she 
 may not find them old on her return, if she should still 
 be young. There are those who say that she has lived 
 all these years, and still lives, somewhere, in some 
 strange form, perhaps far from here, bewitched by the 
 old man, and waiting for release from her enchant- 
 ment. I do not know." 
 
 "And what was her name?" said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "She was named," said the Third Vice-President, 
 "the Princess Miranda." 
 
 "And what are all those other towers In the city?" 
 said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "It was the fashion, after the King's Tower was 
 built, to build towers. The King, as you may suppose, 
 sets the fashion in all things. But no more pleasure- 
 towers are built nowadays; the thing had its day, and 
 died out. There Is a fashion now in pleasure-domes. 
 They are modeled after the pleasure-dome built by 
 Kubla Khan in Xanadu." 
 
 "Well," said Toby, "I don't see what we've got to 
 do with all this. The party I want to see Is Shiraz 
 the Rug-Merchant." 
 
T 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 SHIRAZ THE RUG-MERCHANT 
 
 IHE wayfarers came to a halt before the Wan- 
 derers' Gate. The wall of the city stood before 
 them, and stretched away to a great distance 
 on either hand. People were going in and out at the 
 gate; some on foot, driving donkeys before them, some 
 on horseback, some in wagons, and all brisk and talka- 
 tive. The Third Vice-President received a respectful 
 greeting from several of those on horseback. He 
 turned to his companions with a wave of the hand, 
 and said: 
 
 "The Wanderers' Bazaar!" 
 
 On each side of the open gate, at the foot of the 
 high thick wall, was what appeared to be a fair. As 
 far as the eye could see, the base of the wall was lined 
 with booths, each with an awning over it from the 
 wall behind, gaily striped in orange and blue and 
 yellow and brown. In these booths was spread out in 
 disorderly profusion a mass of merchandise of all 
 kinds; gold and silver ornaments, brass and copper 
 vessels, rugs and carpets, spectacles and clocks, toys 
 and games, herbs and ointments, fish-nets and sailors' 
 instruments, canes and crutches, ribbons and laces, per- 
 fumery, precious stones — things innumerable; even par- 
 rots and monkeys. In cages; in one booth was a potter, 
 twirling his potter's wheel; In another a fortune-teller, 
 laying little sticks down in curious patterns on his table; 
 In another a man pasting on cards bits of coloured 
 feathers, in the form of tiny birds and fowls, most life- 
 
 178 
 
SHIRAZ THE RUG-MERCHANT 179 
 
 like; in another a glass-blower, delicately twining a 
 thread of spun glass for the rigging of a ship; in 
 another a man, sitting on a rug with a snake before 
 him, whose flat head stood stiffly up from his coil, and 
 waved a little to the motion of his master's finger; in 
 another, a man was bending over a flower-pot with a 
 wand in his hand, and as he moved the wand a stalk 
 grew from the pot and at its end a bud appeared and 
 unfolded into a flower before the very eyes of his audi- 
 ence; in another a great ape was marking down figures 
 with chalk as his master called them; in another a 
 shuttle was weaving back and forth in a loom; there 
 seemed to be no end to the curious and diverting things 
 to be seen in those booths. The people in them were 
 apparently of all the nations of the earth; there were 
 brown men and yellow men and black men, as well as 
 white; men with slant eyes, with round eyes, with flat 
 noses, with beak-noses, with wooly hair, with straight 
 hair; there were turbans, and fezzes, and hoods, and 
 white gowns, and coloured robes, and velvet jackets, 
 and cotton blouses; and from all the venders rose such 
 a hubbub as Freddie had never in his life heard before, 
 except once in the Gaunt Street Theatre at home. A 
 lively crowd chaffered with the venders and walked in 
 the paved street before their booths. It was a scene 
 full of life and colour, and Freddie was transported 
 with delight. 
 
 "Oh!" he said, "can't we get down here and see all 
 those sights? I should like to spend the whole day 
 here!" 
 
 "We've got other fish to fry just now, Freddie," 
 said Toby. "We'll have to see this some other time." 
 
 "It is a precious thought," said the Sly Old Fox, 
 "that we have here with us on our mules enough treas- 
 ure to buy this whole bazaar, if we wished to do It. 
 It is a beautiful thought." 
 
 "Six 'undred paces to the right!" said Mr. Punch. 
 
i8o THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Shiraz the Rug-Merchant!" said Toby. "By the 
 looks of it, there must be about five hundred rug- 
 merchants along there." 
 
 "What was the number we were to find him by?" 
 said Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "It's 3103101," said Toby. 
 
 "You are quite mistaken," said Mr. Punch. "Hit's 
 3013101." 
 
 "That's exactly what I said," said Toby. 
 
 "Excuse me," said the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg, "it seems to me that it is — er — 3101301." 
 
 "My recollection is," said the Churchwarden, "that 
 it is 3031010." 
 
 "I am sorry to differ," said the Sly Old Codger, 
 "but I am perfectly sure it is 3013010." 
 
 "Why don't you look at the paper?" said Aunt 
 Amanda, in an exasperated tone. 
 
 Everyone looked at everyone else to produce the 
 paper, but no one produced it. 
 
 "I regret to confess it," said the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent, placidly, "but I have a distinct recollection of 
 having left it on the table at Low Dudgeon. Never 
 mind, it is perfectly safe." 
 
 "Well!" said Aunt Amanda. "Isn't that a perfect 
 shame! Whatever are we going to do? And where's 
 the map? Freddie, have you got the map?" 
 
 Freddie looked in all his pockets. "No'm,'' said he. 
 "It isn't here." 
 
 "I recall distinctly," said the Third Vice-President, 
 without any sign of worry, "that the map was left on 
 the table at Low Dudgeon with the other paper." 
 
 "Merciful fathers !" exclaimed Aunt Amanda. "And 
 you've left the map behind too I I never yet see a man 
 that had a head on him worth a — Now listen to me; Is 
 there anyone that remembers the words the paper said 
 we had to say to the " 
 
 "Ah! madam," said the Third Vice-President. 
 
SHIR AZ THE RUG-MERCHANT 1 8 1 
 
 "There I can be of assistance, I fancy. The words are 
 derived from the Persian, and I am accordingly fa- 
 miliar with them. 'Shagli Jamshid Shahriman.' Am 
 I. right, gentlemen?" 
 
 The Daft Committee nodded their heads in assent. 
 
 "Then I see no reason," said the Third Vice-Presi- 
 dent, "why we should not proceed." 
 
 "Come on then," said Toby. "I'll get down and 
 pace off the six hundred steps, and see where we come 
 to." 
 
 The party moved slowly through the crowd, along 
 the booths, while Toby walked beside them, carefully 
 counting his steps. 
 
 "Five hundred and eighty," said he. "Five hundred 
 and ninety. Ninety-five. Six hundred" ; and stopped. 
 The procession stopped also, and all of the riders got 
 down from their mules. Many of the passers-by gazed 
 curiously at them, and some paused for a moment be- 
 fore going on; but no one seemed to take more than 
 a passing interest. One of the Committee led the mules 
 to the open side of the street, where they would be out 
 of the way, and stood guard over them. The others 
 joined Toby in front of the booth at which he was 
 now standing. 
 
 It was not the kind of booth they were seeking at 
 all. There were no rugs nor carpets of any kind; only 
 clocks and watches, a great number of them, and a 
 few sundials and hour-glasses. Behind the counter 
 stood a lad of about twenty, very dark of skin, with 
 snapping black eyes and shining white teeth which 
 showed as he now bowed and smiled; a white turban 
 on his head, and a loose white robe hanging from his 
 shoulders. He was slim and sleek, and his fingers were 
 very long and delicate. He rubbed his hands together 
 as the riders dismounted, and commenced to chatter to 
 them in an unknown tongue, bowing and smiling the 
 while. His wares were displayed about him on shelves 
 
1 82 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 and boxes and tables, as well as on the counter, and 
 the clocks and watches, as usual in such places, showed 
 all hours of the twelve. A striped awning of orange 
 and blue, fastened at the rear to the side of the city 
 wall, shielded him and his booth from the sun. Be- 
 hind him in the wall was a closed iron door. 
 
 "We're in the wrong shop," said Toby to his com- 
 panions. "Some mistake. Anyway, here goes." And 
 addressing the young man behind the counter, he said: 
 "Good-afternoon. We are looking for Mr. Shiraz 
 the Rug-Merchant. This don't look much like a rug 
 shop, but maybe you can tell us. Shiraz; that's his 
 name." 
 
 "No understand," said the young man, rubbing his 
 hands and bowing pleasantly. 
 
 "Shiraz," said Toby. "Think. Shiraz. Easy 
 word, Shiraz. You understand?" 
 
 "Clocks and watches," said the young man. "Sun- 
 dials. You buy?" 
 
 "No, no," said Toby. "We no buy. Want Shiraz. 
 Confound it, that's an easy word, ain't it? Shiraz! 
 Can't you understand that?" 
 
 "No sell Shiraz," said the young man. "Clocks and 
 watches." 
 
 "Look here," said Toby, "what's the number of this 
 place?" 
 
 "No number," said the young man, looking puzzled 
 and shaking his head. "Clocks and watches." 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "we're in the wrong place 
 sure enough." 
 
 Now while this talk was going on, Freddie had made 
 a discovery. He had noticed, on a box at the rear, 
 against the wall, a row of seven old clocks. They were 
 battered and broken, and were evidently long since 
 out of repair; two of them had no hands. Like most 
 of the clocks in the place, they were stopped, and had 
 probably, from the looks of them, ceased many years 
 
SHIRAZ THE RUG-MERCHANT 1 83 
 
 before to keep time. He noted idly the time shown by- 
 each of these clocks, and started in surprise. The hour 
 shown by the first clock at the left was three o'clock. 
 That shown by the next was one o'clock. The next 
 had no hands, and showed no time at all. The next 
 showed one o'clock, the next three o'clock, the next one 
 o'clock, and the seventh had no hands. He ran his 
 eye over them again, and the numbers which resulted 
 were 3101310. 
 
 "Come along," said Toby. "We might as well ask 
 at some of these other shops. There ain't no use wast- 
 ing time here." 
 
 He moved away, and the others followed him 
 towards the adjoining booth. The teeth of the dark 
 young man shone white, and he bowed politely to the 
 departing strangers. 
 
 Freddie pulled at Toby's coat, and whispered in his 
 ear. Toby listened, and without a word led the party 
 back to the booth. 
 
 "Now see here, young feller," said he, "I've got 
 your number, and I don't want no nonsense. I reckon 
 you can understand numbers, if you can't understand 
 anything else." He fixed his eyes on the row of old 
 clocks at the rear, "Listen to this, my young friend: 
 3-1-0-1-3-1-0." 
 
 The smile left the young man's face. He seemed a 
 trifle uneasy. His long fingers rested on the counter, 
 and he leaned forward intently. 
 
 "No understand," said he. 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "this beats all. Where's 
 Shiraz? We're in the right place, and we want Shiraz. 
 Out with him!" 
 
 "Clocks and watches," said the voung man, but this 
 time somewhat nervously. "You buy?" 
 
 "Buy nothing!" cried Toby. "We want to see 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant. Professor," said he, turn- 
 
1 84 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 ing round, "what's the words to bring out Shiraz the 
 Rug-Merchant?" 
 
 "Shagli Jamshid Shahriman!" said the Third Vice- 
 President, in a loud voice. 
 
 Instantly the manner of the young man changed. 
 Crossing his arms upon his breast, he made a low 
 salaam, and spoke with the utmost deference. 
 
 "I trust you will pardon," said he, "my seeming lack 
 of courtesy. It is necessary to exercise a certain cau- 
 tion. T here are wicked spirits, assuming from time to 
 time the most unlikely forms, who seek to gain access 
 to my great-great-grandfather. His life is continually 
 in danger, for he possesses secrets which enable him 
 constantly to interfere with their designs. By reason 
 of this danger, he was obliged many years ago to retire 
 from the rug business, and he has lived ever since in 
 deep seclusion. It is your wish to see Shiraz the Per- 
 sian?" 
 
 "You seem to speak English pretty good," said Toby. 
 
 "Perfectly, my lord. And twelve other tongues as 
 well. You desire to see my great-great-grandfather?" 
 
 "That's the exact idea," said Toby. 
 
 "Then I will beg your indulgence for a few mo- 
 ments." 
 
 The young man bowed again, and disappeared 
 through the doorway in the wall, closing the door be- 
 hind him. After a considerable absence he returned. 
 
 "If you will follow me," said he, "I will conduct 
 you to my great-great-grandfather." 
 
 "We will await your return here," said the Third 
 Vice-President to Toby and his companions. "It is 
 unnecessary for us to pursue this adventure further." 
 
 The Third Vice-President and his friends returned 
 to the mules, and the others followed the young man 
 to the door behind him in the wall. The door was 
 closed and locked behind them, and they found them- 
 
SHIRAZ THE RUG-MERCHANT 185 
 
 selves In darkness. "If you will come to me here," 
 said the voice of the young man, a little in advance, 
 "I will show you the way down." When they felt 
 themselves near him, they heard his voice again. "Be 
 good enough to step carefully forward, until you feel 
 the first step of a descending stair. Then descend cau- 
 tiously, if you please." Each one put out a foot, and 
 in a moment they were all going down a stairway, of 
 which the treads were evidently of stone, much worn. 
 
 When they had gone down some thirty steps, they 
 were aware that the stair had ended, and that they 
 were on a landing. "You will now cross the bridge, 
 one by one, holding on to the railing," said the voice 
 of the young man. One by one the party stepped for- 
 ward, feeling the way cautiously, and as each In turn 
 found with his hand a slight wooden railing, a breath 
 of fresh air blew upon his face and the sound of rushing 
 water came from below. Instead of the firm stone 
 they had just been treading, they were conscious of 
 wooden planking under their feet, and It gave beneath 
 their pressure most uneasily. The bridge was a long 
 one, and the sound of rushing water followed them its 
 entire length. They walked again, however, on firm 
 ground, and heard the young man's voice before them. 
 "Be good enough to follow the right hand wall," It 
 said, "and turn with the wall." 
 
 Each right hand touched the surface of a wall, and 
 in a moment the wall made a turning to the right. In 
 another moment their progress was barred by a wall 
 in advance, and the voice of the young man spoke 
 from their midst. "You will kindly stoop as you go 
 in," said he, and at the same moment a round opening 
 appeared before them, dimly lit from within. It was 
 only large enough to admit a single person, stooping. 
 The young man entered first, and the others followed, 
 one by one. When they were all on the other side of 
 
1 86 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 the door, the young man swung it noiselessly to, on its 
 hinges, and it was seen that it fitted accurately, so that 
 it was impossible to distinguish it from the wall. 
 
 They were in a small room, unfurnished except for 
 a table in the center, on which burned an oil lamp of 
 silver, in shape like a boat; the walls were bare, except 
 for certain shelves containing bottles of coloured 
 liquids, other bottles of coloured powders, mortars, 
 retorts, gas-burners, and huge dusty books. There ap- 
 peared to be no outlet from the room, but the young 
 man pressed his finger on a spot behind one of the 
 bottles on a shelf, and a circular door, like the one by 
 which they had entered, swung slowly open in the 
 opposite wall. 
 
 "We have arrived," said the young man. "Please 
 to follow." 
 
 He stooped and entered the circular doorway, and 
 the others, one by one, followed. They found them- 
 selves in a rich and luxurious apartment, softly lighted 
 by a hanging lamp; in the center was a table, littered 
 with open books and scrolls of paper, and bearing 
 notably a great round globe of solid crystal. 
 
 Beside the table, on a divan, reclined what appeared 
 to be a dry and shriveled mummy. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 SIX ENCHANTED SOULS 
 
 <*^ I ^HIS Is my great-great-grandfather," said the 
 I young man, 
 
 -*- The room in which they stood was hung 
 
 about on all the walls with rare and beautiful rugs, and 
 similar rugs covered the floor. Richly embroidered 
 cushions and delicate silk and cashmere shawls lay on 
 the few easy chairs that were disposed about the 
 room. The bowl of the hanging lamp, above the table, 
 was of bits of amber and orange and ruby glass, 
 through which shone a subdued and mellow light. Near 
 the ceiling were three or four small openings, covered 
 with iron gratings, and the air in the apartment was 
 pure, except for the odour of tobacco. The figure on 
 the divan was smoking a pipe; a water-pipe, whose long 
 flexible stem reached to the floor, where its bowl rested. 
 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant looked at his visitors with 
 little beady black eyes. His skin was very dark, and 
 shriveled and wrinkled like the skin of a dried apple. 
 His cheek-bones seemed as If about to break through 
 his cheeks, and his lips were stretched back from his 
 teeth, which were black and broken. His hands were 
 like the claws of a bird. Thin white hair straggled 
 over his tight dark scalp. He wore a robe of some 
 soft material, harmoniously mottled upon a ground of 
 maroon, and on his feet were slippers of red morocco, 
 pointed upwards at the toes. His turban lay upon the 
 table beside him. 
 
 He was the smallest man the strangers had ever seen. 
 
 187 
 
THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant looked at his visitors 
 with little beady black eyes. 
 
SIX ENCHANTED SOULS 189 
 
 After a searching look at them with his beady eyes, 
 he rose from the divan, laid down the stem of his pipe, 
 and stood up. He was not taller than Freddie. As he 
 stood by the divan, looking up at his visitors, he seemed 
 indeed a mere mummy of a man, likely to fall to pieces 
 at a breath of air. 
 
 "You are welcome," he said, In a voice surprisingly 
 strong. "I perceive that you have come from a great 
 distance. Permit me to Inquire what errand has 
 brought you to your servant's poor habitation." 
 
 "I reckon we want to buy something," said Toby. 
 "I don't know what, exactly, but a chap by the name 
 of Higginson, Captain Reuben Higglnson, he give us 
 the direction, as you might say." 
 
 "Ah, yes," said Shiraz the Persian. "I remember 
 him very well. I was sorry to learn of his misfortune. 
 An excellent man; a member of some strange sect " 
 
 "A Quaker," said Toby. "The paper he left said 
 we might buy something here, and here we are, ready 
 to buy." 
 
 "I have long since retired from the rug business," 
 said Shiraz, "but I have brought with me here, as you 
 may see, some of my choicest treasures, as a slight 
 solace In my seclusion." He glanced towards the rugs 
 on the walls. "I am reluctant to part with any of them, 
 but I am willing to make an exception, In view of your 
 having made so long a journey to see me. My son," 
 said he to the young m,an, "bring hither the Omar 
 prayer-rug." 
 
 The young man took from one of the walls a small 
 rug, and laid it at the feet of Shiraz. 
 
 "You will immediately perceive," said the Persian, 
 "the extreme beauty of this rug. It is one of my rarest 
 treasures. It Is a prayer-rug from the mosque of Omar 
 at Isfahan; a Kallcheh of cut-pile fabric, with the Sehna 
 knot, as I need not tell you; made in Kurdistan three 
 
1 90 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 hundred years ago; observe, if you please, the delicacy 
 of the design and the harmony of the colouring. Its 
 possession is as a spring of water to the desert Bedouin ; 
 as a palm with dates on the road to Mecca; as a word 
 to the believer from the mouth of the Prophet. Its 
 price, to those who have journeyed across the sea to 
 iDuy it, is twelve copper pennies." 
 
 The Sly Old Fox stooped down and examined it. His 
 eyes lit up with pleasure. "Beautiful!" said he. "I 
 have never seen a rug more beautiful; it is a real work 
 of — of — I will take it. At twelve pennies. It is mine." 
 
 "No, no!" said Aunt Amanda. "You'll do nothmg 
 of the kind. It is certainly the finest piece of carpet 
 I have ever seen, and the price is low enough, in all 
 conscience. But we are not going to buy it. I am 
 sorry, sir, but we can't buy your rug. Show us some- 
 thing else." 
 
 Shiraz displayed his teeth more plainly than ever 
 in a sly smile. 
 
 "Your servant is desolated," he replied. "I crave 
 your pardon for showing a trifle so far beneath your 
 notice. My son, take it away. If your excellencies 
 will deign to overlook my error, I will produce an 
 article more worthy of your attention. This time I 
 promise myself the ecstasy of your approval." 
 
 "Pretty good line of talk," whispered Toby In Mr. 
 Punch's ear. 
 
 "My son," continued Shiraz, "bring hither the 
 Wishing Rug." 
 
 The young man took away the prayer-rug, and 
 brought another from the wall; a much larger one, 
 large enough, indeed, for twenty people to stand on. 
 It was dingy and frayed, and In no way beautiful like 
 the other. 
 
 "A rug of the Tomb of Rustam," said Shiraz, 
 "gained by the hero In battle from the genie Akhnavid. 
 
SIX ENCHANTED SOULS 1 9 1 
 
 It is the last of the Wishing Rugs. Its property is, 
 that it will transport to the farthest regions of the 
 earth, in the twinkling of an eye, those who sit upon it 
 and but name aloud the place of their desire. Excel- 
 lencies," he said, addressing his visitors very earnestly, 
 "if it is your wish to return home, the moment has 
 arrived; you have only to sit upon this rug and wish 
 yourselves at home, and you will find yourselves there, 
 safe and sound, before the words shall have well left 
 your lips. And the price is only twenty pennies." 
 
 Every one of the party hesitated. A vision of the 
 Old Tobacco Shop entered each mind. It had never 
 seemed so cozy, so quiet, so secure as at that moment. 
 How or when they would ever get there, in the natural 
 course of events, no one knew. If they did not seize 
 this opportunity, they might be lost forever. It was 
 a chance such as they could scarcely have hoped for. 
 
 "Could we take our belongings with us?" said the 
 Sly Old Eox. 
 
 "All that can be piled on the rug," said Shiraz. 
 
 "Then Iwill buy it," said the Sly Old Codger. "1 
 do not consider twenty pennies too much for such a rug. 
 The rug is mine." 
 
 "It's nothing of the sort," said Aunt Amanda, wak- 
 ing from deep thought. "Nobody's going to buy the 
 rug. I'm captain of this expedition, and my orders is, 
 to wait and see what's going to happen next. I'm 
 sorry, sir, but the rug ain't exactly what we want. You 
 must show us something else." 
 
 The Rug-Merchant appeared greatly mortified. "I 
 do not know how I could have made such a mistake," 
 he said. "I should have known that these little trifles 
 could not Interest you. I trust you will believe that I 
 meant no offense. I fear there is nothing In my poor 
 collection which merits your notice. Permit me to wish 
 you a safe journey. Do you Intend to remain long In 
 the City of Towers?" 
 
192 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "That won't do," said Toby. "You must show us 
 something else." 
 
 The Rug-Merchant looked intently at Aunt Amanda. 
 "You command it?" said he. 
 
 "I do," said she. 
 
 "To hear is to obey," said Shiraz. "I tremble to 
 think how contemptible are the baubles I shall now 
 offer you, but I trust you will not be angry with your 
 servant." He turned to the young man, and spoke to 
 him in an unknown tongue. "Be not offended, excel- 
 lencies," he went on, "by your poor servant's ignorance 
 in the art of pleasing." 
 
 The young man disappeared behind one of the hang- 
 ing rugs, and in a moment returned with certain small 
 objects, which he stood upon the table in a row. They 
 were eight hour-glasses, of a very ordinary kind, much 
 like those already seen in the booth outside. The sand 
 in each one was wholly in the upper glass, and was just 
 beginning to trickle down into the lower. The strangers 
 were obviously disappointed. 
 
 "I fear your displeasure," said Shiraz, "but apart 
 from my trifling rugs, these are all I have to offer." 
 
 "And what," said the Sly Old Fox, "what may be 
 the price of these interesting objects?" 
 
 "The price," said Shiraz, fixing his beady eyes on 
 Aunt Amanda, "the price is this and nothing less: your 
 treasure on the mules outside; your share of the treas- 
 ure on the mules." 
 
 Everj^one gasped. The treasure which they had 
 gone through so many perils to secure, for these indif- 
 ferent trinkets ! A life of ease and plenty for an hour- 
 glass 1 
 
 "Ahem !" said the Old Codger with the Wooden 
 Leg. "Excuse me for saying it, but the — er — price 
 appears to be a little bit high." 
 
 "It is too high for me," said the Sly Old Fox, posi- 
 tively. "I regret to say it, but I am compelled to with- 
 
SIX ENCHANTED SOULS 193 
 
 draw; I cannot go on at such a figure. Please consider 
 me out of it." 
 
 "And — er — me too," said the Old Codger with the 
 Wooden Leg. 
 
 "Well," said Toby, doubtfully, "it's a blamed hard 
 thing to give up all that treasure for one of these here 
 little toys. I don't see my way clear to doing it. What 
 do you say, Aunt Amanda?" 
 
 "I'll do it," said Aunt Amanda, looking at Shiraz, 
 whose eyes were still on her. "I've come all this way 
 to do it, and I'll do it. I ain't going to back out now 
 at the last minute. My mind's made up. Mr. Shiraz, 
 I'll buy an hour-glass." 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "then I will too. What 
 about you, Freddie?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, indeed," said Freddie. 
 
 "Hi'U 'ave one myself," said Mr. Punch. 
 
 "After due consideration," said the Churchwarden, 
 "I think I will buy one also." 
 
 Mr. Hanlon nodded a vigorous assent. 
 
 The two Old Codgers, however, were firm in their 
 refusal. They could not be persuaded. They re- 
 tired from the enterprise then and there. 
 
 Under the conduct of the young man, the two Old 
 Codgers left the room, and returned to the Committee 
 who v/ere waiting with the mules outside; and with 
 them went Toby and Mr. Punch and Mr. Hanlon, to 
 bring back that portion of the treasure which was to 
 pay for the six hour-glasses. 
 
 This was a work of much difficulty, and occupied a 
 great deal of time. While it was going on, the Rug- 
 Merchant, having first asked permission, reclined again 
 on the divan and resumed his pipe, while Aunt Amanda, 
 Freddie, and the Churchwarden seated themselves, at 
 his invitation, and watched him in silence. 
 
 The treasure was at length piled, complete, in a cor- 
 ner of the room. Toby, Mr. Punch, and Mr. Hanlon 
 
194 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 returned for the last time, and without the great-great- 
 grandson of the Rug-Merchant. 
 
 "The others will wait outside for an hour," said 
 Toby. "If we don't come back by that time, they'll 
 go on into the city without us." 
 
 Shiraz the Rug-Merchant laid down the stem of 
 his pipe, and rising bowed to Aunt Amanda with great 
 deference. 
 
 "Permit me, most gracious lady," said he, "to see 
 the fingers of your left hand." 
 
 He took In his own right hand the third finger of 
 Aunt Amanda's left, and bent his eyes close over it. He 
 straightened himself up with a long breath, and cross- 
 ing his arms upon his breast, made a low salaam. 
 
 "It Is as I thought," said he. "The mark is here, 
 on the third finger of the left hand. Highness," said 
 he, bowing lower, "I pray you accept your servant's 
 salutation on your return," And raising her hand to 
 his lips, he kissed It in a very courtly manner. 
 
 "Goodness alive!" said Aunt Amanda, turning as 
 red as a rose, "you make me feel too foolish for any- 
 thing." 
 
 "You have been away a long time," said Shiraz, "but 
 you have returned. Happy am I to be the first to greet 
 you on your return. You and the others have all been 
 enchanted. You are six enchanted souls, and In your 
 present shapes not one of you Is himself. I suppose 
 you do not know that you are enchanted; you think 
 that you are yourselves; is it not so? I assure you It 
 is a mistake; but I can put you in the way of correcting 
 your errors, and restoring yourselves to your true 
 shapes, if you desire It. Madam," said he, bowing 
 again to Aunt Amanda, "I await your commands." 
 
 "I reckon we all want to be corrected," said Aunt 
 Amanda. "It's what we've come here for. We've 
 come a long way to this Island, and for nothing on 
 
SIX ENCHANTED SOULS 195 
 
 earth but to be corrected, If there's any way to do it 
 If you can do it, go ahead." 
 
 "Hearing is obedience," said Shiraz. "Please to 
 take the hour-glasses." 
 
 Each one took up an hour-glass from the table and 
 held it in his hand. 
 
 "It is necessary," said Shiraz, "to destroy the sands 
 in the glasses. If they can be destroyed, the enchant- 
 ment will be over. There is no power on earth which 
 can destroy the sands but one, and that is the White 
 Fire of the Preserver. Will you risk the fire?" 
 
 "I will," said Aunt Amanda, now somewhat pale; 
 and the others nodded assent. 
 
 "Then I will give you the White Robes," said 
 Shiraz. "Without them you can not withstand the 
 Fire." 
 
 He went to a wall and drew from behind the hang- 
 ings a box, which he opened on the table. From 
 this box he took six white linen gowns, and at his direc- 
 tion each put on one of the gowns. Freddie's was 
 much too long, and he was obliged to hold it up. 
 
 "Well," said Toby, "I always did look ridiculous in 
 a nightgown, but this beats — " 
 
 "Peace," said Shiraz. "The Fire will not harm you 
 now. Two things only are necessary : to fear nothing, 
 and to hold tight to the hour-glasses." 
 
 With these words he clapped his hands, and from 
 behind the hangings on the rear wall stepped a black 
 man, clad in a robe similar to the others. To this 
 man the Persian spoke in some strange tongue, and 
 the man bowed. 
 
 "Now," said Shiraz, "you will follow my servant. 
 Farewell, and peace be with you." 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 FROM THE FIRE BACK TO THE FRYING PAN 
 
 T 
 
 ^HE WHITE-ROBED figures, having left the 
 room by a small circular door behind the hang- 
 ings, followed the black servant along a pitch- 
 dark passage, and in a few moments came to a bridge, 
 similar to the one they had crossed before. As they 
 felt their way over it cautiously one by one, the sound 
 of rushing water came to them from below, and a 
 cold breeze fanned their cheeks. A little further on 
 they touched the first step of a stair, and began to as- 
 cend its worn stone treads. They mounted some thirty 
 steps, and touching the wall with their hands, moved 
 onward along a passage. This passage made an 
 abrupt turn to the left, and when they had cleared the 
 corner they saw in its sides before them a gleam of 
 light here and there. 
 
 "The Master's work-rooms," said the black servant. 
 "Please to follow." 
 
 They passed now and then beneath a lighted win- 
 dow, too high to be seen through, and at the end of 
 the passage the servant paused before a closed iron 
 door. He opened this door with a key, and led them 
 forth. 
 
 Before them was a garden, the most beautiful that 
 •any of them had ever seen. High over it was a dome 
 of pale green and amber glass, through which the sun- 
 light streamed in mild and parti-coloured rays. The 
 walls which supported the dome were so high that it 
 was impossible to see beyond. In the center was a 
 
 196 
 
BACK TO THE FRYING PAN 197 
 
 fountain, dropping in a sparkling shower into a marble 
 basin; around it spread a well-ordered carpet of flow- 
 ers, of all the colours, as it seemed, of the rainbow; 
 along the walls were cocoa palms, banana trees, and 
 the feathery bamboo; white cockatoos sailed across 
 from palm to palm; the air was heavy with a warm 
 odour of moist earth and blossoms. The whole party 
 drew a deep breath of pleasure. The dark place from 
 which they had come seemed to fade away like a dream 
 before the soft beauty of the garden. 
 
 The servant led them to the opposite side, and un- 
 locked a door in the wall, making way for them to 
 pass in before him. They entered, and heard the 
 door locked behind them; the servant was no longer 
 with them; they were alone in a small square room, of 
 stone walls and an earthen floor; there was no open- 
 ing, but In the opposite wall was a closed door. A 
 pale light pervaded the place, from what source they 
 could not discover. In the earthen floor from wall 
 to wall grew a thicket of stiff stalks, higher than Fred- 
 die's head, and clustered closely around each stalk from 
 bottom to top were flowers of a waxen whiteness. 
 
 "It seems a real pity," said Aunt Amanda, "to break 
 those pretty plants, but I reckon we've got to wade 
 into them. I'm mighty curious to see what's on the 
 other side of that door. Probably the fire the old man 
 was talking about. Oh, dear, I don't like fire. But 
 pve've got to get to that door, so come along." 
 
 The whole party moved in a body into the thicket of 
 waxen stalks. 
 
 As they stepped In, the stalks broke around them 
 with sharp reports. They moved on again, and the 
 reports, as the stalks broke, became louder and 
 louder; and now each one felt the hour-glass in his 
 hand being tugged at, and found that wherever his 
 hand touched a flower, the petals flattened themselves 
 on the hand and the glass, and clung so tight that It 
 
198 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 took a hard jerk to get them loose. There was dan- 
 ger of losing the glasses, and with one accord they 
 held the glasses high above their heads. The moment 
 they did so, the conduct of the stalks became terrifying 
 indeed. 
 
 As if in anger, the broken stalks spouted forth, 
 with a hiss and a rush, blinding jets of liquid white 
 fire, which tore at the ceiling angrily and roared and 
 crackled. From the broken stalks it spread to the 
 others, and In a moment jets of liquid white fire were 
 blazing and crackling upward from all the stalks in 
 the room, and the terrified captives were in the very 
 midst of it. 
 
 It ran up their robes and showered on them, from 
 the ceiling; it became denser and angrier; it was all but 
 unbearable, though they felt it in only a tiny fraction of 
 its real strength; in another instant the frail white 
 gowns must surely be consumed. But in some strange 
 way the gowns shed off the liquid fire, and remained 
 unscorched. 
 
 For a moment the sufferers were stupefied. They 
 were unable to move. Freddie tried to scream, but 
 he could make no sound; he almost fainted away; but 
 he felt, through it all, the sturdy arm of Mr. Toby 
 tight about him. 
 
 They pushed on in a close body and passed the cen- 
 ter of the room; the white glare became more blinding, 
 the roar and crackle more deafening; they were sur- 
 rounded, cut off, in the midst of destruction; they were 
 bewildered; they stopped again; there was no use in 
 going back; they must get forward through the furnace 
 at any cost; they made a new start; and in a frenzy 
 of terror, their hands before their eyes, with a rush 
 they gained the door. They crowded against it; they 
 pushed and beat upon it; it gave way before them; 
 they rushed through, and it closed behind them of its 
 own accord. 
 
BACK TO THE FRYING PAN 1 99 
 
 They were standing in broad daylight on the side- 
 walk of a city street, under a high blank wall, with 
 shops on the opposite side; each with an hour-glass, 
 empty of sand, in his right hand, and each clad only 
 In a long white night-gown. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 DISENCHANTMENT COMPLETE 
 
 THEY looked behind them. A high stone wall 
 rose at their backs, and in it was no sign of a 
 door. 
 
 They looked across the street. It was a narrow 
 street, paved with cobble-stones; on the opposite side, 
 where a row of little low shops stretched away on 
 either hand, a few people were going in and out at the 
 doors, and a few others were walking at some distance, 
 before the shop-windows. An ox-cart was coming slow- 
 ly down the street. 
 
 Freddie had sometimes dreamed of being out among 
 people in broad daylight in his night-gown, and he now 
 felt the same terror he had felt in those dreams; he 
 looked anxiously at the shops for a place in which to 
 hide. No one appeared to observe them yet, but they 
 would soon be seen, and it would be dreadful, unless 
 they could find shelter without a moment's delay. 
 
 "We had better run into one of those shops," said 
 he, breathlessly, "and ask them to hide us until we 
 can get some clothes." 
 
 "Ah, no," said a soft voice beside him, at his right. 
 "It is not a shop that I must go to now. I must 
 hurry home." 
 
 Freddie looked around at his right for Aunt 
 Amanda. There was no Aunt Amanda. In her place, 
 holding an empty hour-glass in her right hand, was 
 a lady, the fairest whom Freddie had ever seen. She 
 was young; her eyes were of the blue of summer skies; 
 
 200 
 
DISENCHANTMENT COMPLETE 201 
 
 her hair was golden yellow; on her soft white cheek 
 was a tinge of pink; two heavy braids of hair hung 
 almost to her knees; her eyes were sparkling with 
 happiness, and a tender and wistful smile curved her 
 lips. As Freddie gazed at her, he thought that there 
 could not be in the world another so radiantly beautiful. 
 She looked about her as one who sees familiar things 
 after a long absence. 
 
 Freddie's eyes fell to the hand which was nearest 
 him, her left. On the third finger of her left hand 
 was a ruby ring. 
 
 "Are you," he faltered, "are you — Aunt Amanda?" 
 
 *'J think," she said, smiling on him, "I think I was, 
 once. I think I can remember that name. And you 
 are — let me see; what was your name? Ah, yes, your 
 name was Freddie. But we must hurry; we must not 
 keep them waiting." 
 
 Freddie turned, and saw beside him four strange 
 men, all gazing at the beautiful lady in amazement. 
 In the right hand of each was an empty hour-glass. 
 
 Freddie looked down on the two men who stood 
 nearest him; he looked dozvn on them; he was sud- 
 denly aware that he was not looking up. They were 
 short, for full-grown men, and of precisely the same 
 height; their faces were square, their cheek-bones prom- 
 inent, and their noses hooked; the head of one was 
 bald, and the hair of the other's head lay flat down 
 on his forehead where it curved back like a hairpin; 
 except for their heads, they were In all respects twins. 
 There was no hump on the back of either of them. 
 
 "Mr. Punch and Mr. Toby!" said Freddie. 
 
 "The wery same," said the bald-headed one. 
 
 "That's me," said the other. 
 
 Behind Mr. Toby stood a lean man in spectacles. 
 His night-gown hung upon him very loosely, and he 
 was very spare indeed. His smooth-shaven cheeks 
 were somewhat hollow; his eyes behind his glasses were 
 
202 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 deep and solemn; his frame was the frame of one who 
 subdues the flesh by fasting; snow-white hair, curling 
 inward at the back of his neck, made a kind of aureole 
 around his thin face; he looked for all the world as 
 he stood barefoot in his long white gown, like one of 
 those saints you see in painted glass windows in a 
 church. 
 
 "Is it," said Freddie, hesitating, "is it — the Church- 
 warden?" 
 
 "I have reason to believe," said the saintly looking 
 man, "that I have been known by that name. But 
 I am in reality, and always have been, in reality, some- 
 thing far more lowly than a churchwarden; I am, and 
 always have been, at heart, a meek and humble fol- 
 lower of the holy Thomas a Kempis, whose life of 
 serene and cloistered sanctity I have always wished to 
 imitate. Now that I am myself, it is my ambition to 
 be known, if it is not too presumptuous to say so, 
 as Thomas the Inferior. Pax vobiscum." 
 
 "I ain't got the least idea what that means," said 
 Toby, "but anyway it's the Churchwarden's voice, 
 whether he calls himself Thomas the Inferior or Dan- 
 iel the Deleterious. You're heartily welcome, War- 
 den, and I hope you won't mind my saying that a 
 good meal wouldn't do you any harm, from the looks 
 of you. I'm pretty near starved to death myself. 
 Mr. Punch, we've got rid of our humps,^ as sure as 
 you're born. We're as straight in our bodies as we've 
 always been In our minds, and that's as straight as a 
 string. By crackey, I never felt so fine in my life; 
 blamed if I couldn't lick my weight in wildcats." 
 
 "Hi 'ave no wish to do so," said Mr. Punch. "Hi 
 do not desire to engage in any conflict whatever; Hi 
 should regard such conduct as wery reprehensible; 
 wery. But one cannot but admit, harfter one's back 
 'as been so long out of correct proportion, as one rnay 
 s'y, that one enjoys a wery pronounced satisfaction 
 
DISENCHANTMENT COMPLETE 203 
 
 when one feels one's self restored to one's rightful 
 position as a hupright person, in common with one's 
 fellow—" 
 
 "What about Mr. Hanlon?" said Toby, turning 
 around. 
 
 "Michael Hanlon, prisent!" said a cheerful voice. 
 
 Behind the Inferior Thomas stood a tall and hand- 
 some man, the picture of an athlete in the prime of 
 condition. Short curling black hair clustered on his 
 head; his eyes were of a humorous dark blue; his 
 cheeks were like red apples; his shoulders were mus- 
 cular, his back was straight, his figure slim; and he 
 wore his night-gown as a Greek runner in ancient 
 times might have worn his robe after the games. 
 
 "What!" said Freddie. "Can you talk?" 
 
 "Faith," said Mr. Hanlon, "I've a tongue in me 
 head that can wag with anny that iver come off the 
 blarney stone, and it's no lies I'm tellin' ye. For an 
 Irish gintleman to have to listen and listen, and kape 
 his tongue still in his head and say niver a worrd 
 at all, at all, 'tis a hard life, me frinds, a hard life, 
 and it's plaised I am to be mesilf at last, and the nate 
 bit of tongue doin' his duty like a thrue son of Erin — I 
 could tell ye a swate little shtory that comes to me 
 mind, of a dumb Irishman that could not spake at 
 all, at all, and the deaf wife of him that could not 
 hear, and their twelve pigs all lyin' down in the mud 
 with wan of thim standing up and crying out that the 
 wolf was comin' in through the gate, and the good 
 wife unable to hear and the good man unable to 
 spake — " 
 
 "I reckon you've got your tongue, all right," said 
 Toby. "I wish we had time to hear that story, but we 
 haven't. Now, Freddie, what do you think we'd better 
 — Why, Freddie ! What's that you've got on your lip?" 
 
 Freddie put his hand to his upper lip. What he felt 
 there was a tiny silken mustache. He blushed. 
 
204 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "And 'e's taller than any of us except Mr. 'Anion!" 
 exclaimed Mr. Punch. "My word!" 
 
 Freddie looked down at Mr. Punch, and realized 
 his own height. He looked at his hands, and they 
 were almost as large as Mr. Hanlon's. His night- 
 gown came to his ankles, and he realized that he was 
 no longer holding it up. 
 
 "Why," he said, "I must be grown up!" 
 
 "Grown up is the word," said Toby, "but I'd 'a' 
 known you anywhere. Twenty-one years old, I should 
 say." 
 
 "Twenty-two," said Mr. Punch. 
 
 Everyone now fell silent. The young and lovely 
 lady, who had said nothing during their talk, was 
 smiling from one to another. She seemed to feel no 
 embarrassment nor concern, nor anything Indeed but 
 happiness. She looked at Toby with a smile, and all 
 the men looked at her. 
 
 "Do you know me?" she said to Toby. 
 
 "You are changed," said he, "that's a fact. But I 
 always knew that Aunt Amanda was like that, down 
 deep inside of her. If she could only have looked like 
 what she was, that's the way she would have looked, 
 and I always knew it. I'm glad you've come to look 
 like yourself at last." 
 
 "Ah!" said the beautiful lady. "I am glad you 
 don't feel that I am strange to you. I know you 
 all now, better than I have ever known you. You 
 have been with me a long while, under disguise. I 
 don't seem to remember very well what your disguises 
 were, for I seem to have known you always as you 
 are: my loyal knight," (turning to Freddie), "my 
 body-guard," (turning to Mr. Toby and Mr. Punch), 
 "my confessor," (turning to Thomas the Inferior), 
 "and my courier," (turning to Mr. Hanlon). "In 
 my exile you have been with me, and in my home- 
 coming you shall be with me still." 
 
DISENCHANTMENT COMPLETE 205 
 
 "We hope to be with you always," said the tall 
 young knight who used to be Freddie. "But we are 
 beginning to be noticed. I have seen one or two 
 people stare from the shop windows. We had better 
 hurry to one of those shops and seek refuge until 
 we can find proper clothes." 
 
 "Ah, no!" said the lady, with a radiant smile. "I 
 must hasten home. They have been waiting a long 
 time, and I must not lose a moment. I know the way! 
 This street is changed since I was here, but I know 
 it ! I know the way ! Come with me ! I am going 
 home!" 
 
 She placed her empty hour-glass In Freddie's hand, 
 and led the way up the street. Her bare feet trod 
 the pavement swiftly; she walked as if she had never 
 known what it was to be lame; she went swimmingly, 
 with a motion of infinite grace. The others looked 
 about them, uneasily, as they followed, but she seemed 
 to care nothing for the eyes of the people. The ox- 
 cart stopped as it came to them, and the driver who 
 was walking beside It stopped also, and gazed at them 
 with his mouth open. Faces appeared at shop-windows 
 as they went by, and figures appeared at shop-doors. 
 Two or three foot-passengers passed them, and after 
 they had gone, went to the nearest shop-door and 
 stood there for a moment in talk with the shop-keeper. 
 They then began to follow the strange white-clad group 
 up the street. In a few moments others joined them. 
 Freddie looked behind, and wished to run; but the 
 lady who was leading paid no attention. 
 
 A little further on she turned a corner, and the party 
 found themselves in a much busier street. The side- 
 walks were alive with people. In a moment there 
 was a great silence. When the six figures first ap- 
 peared, some of the people began to laugh. Then 
 they looked at the face of the lady who swept along 
 In advance of her attendants, and they laughed no 
 
2o6 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 more. They began to whisper one to another. They 
 fell apart, and made way for her and her attendants. 
 They stopped; they forgot their own affairs; some ran 
 into the shops and called out the persons who were 
 within; they gaped, and whispered, and nodded, and 
 held up their hands, and with one accord began to 
 follow. 
 
 Further on, heads appeared from the windows of 
 pleasure-towers and pleasure-domes; doors opened; all 
 who could walk joined themselves to the crowd which 
 was following the wondrous lady and her five strange 
 companions. 
 
 Deeper and deeper into the city; on past the region 
 of shops into the region of gardens and mansions; up 
 by a gradual ascent to the place of the largest and tall- 
 est towers and domes; on they went, the six white-gown- 
 ed and bare-footed figures before, and the crowd be- 
 hind; and the further they went, the greater became 
 the crowd; and still there was no sound from the 
 people, except the sound of an awestruck whispering. 
 
 The dark cloud on the mountain-top was now plainly 
 In view before them between the towers and domes, 
 and they could see the great mass of the King's Tower 
 where it rose to the cloud and lost itself within It. At 
 the end of the street which they were now following 
 a majestic gateway could be seen, and beyond It a park. 
 
 Behind them the street was choked from wall to wall 
 with a vast multitude. From every house, as the mul- 
 titude passed, its people poured forth and joined the 
 throng; business was forgotten; shops and houses were 
 deserted; It seemed as If the whole city was in the 
 street, following the lady and her five attendants. She 
 looked not behind her once. She seemed to be un- 
 aware of anything In the world about her; her eyes 
 shone like stars; she had forgotten even her compan- 
 ions; she spoke not a word, but looked forward to 
 the stately gateway and the park beyond. Still no 
 
DISENCHANTMENT COMPLETE 207 
 
 sound came from the multitude, except a sound of whis- 
 pering. 
 
 They reached the gateway. On each side was a 
 great stone pillar, supporting a gate of massive bronze. 
 The gates were open. Without an instant's hesitation 
 she led the way within, and as she did so placed her 
 left hand on her heart. The throng seemed to waver 
 a moment, and then as the six barefoot and white- 
 gowned figures moved swiftly up the driveway into the 
 park, it flowed In silently between the gates, and fol- 
 lowed at a respectful distance. 
 
 Before them, at a distance, on a knoll from which 
 terraces of velvet grass descended, stood the palace 
 of the King; white and broad and flat-roofed. 
 
 Passing a grove of trees, the lady left the roadway 
 and stepped into the smooth grass of a lawn, and 
 sped across it directly towards the terraces before the 
 palace of the King. She mounted the gentle slope, 
 her five friends following her; and the vast throng, 
 filling the park to the gates, came on behind. She 
 reached the first terrace; her hand was still on her 
 heart. A dog barked. 
 
 Windows in the palace front began to go up, and 
 faces to appear. From an archway sprang a pack of 
 beautiful tall white curly-haired dogs, and rushed on 
 the lady, barking. Freddie made as if to protect her, 
 but she waved him back with a smile. The dogs 
 sprang up as if to devour her, but they did no harm; 
 they barked as if their throats would burst; they 
 leaped and gambolled about her; they thrust their noses 
 into her hand; they almost spoke; and in the midst of 
 it there appeared upon the wide steps before the pal- 
 ace door a noble-looking man, and beside him three 
 children. 
 
 At sight of this man and the children, the lady cov- 
 ered her eyes for an instant with her hands, and gave 
 a sob; but she quickly looked up, and sped on more 
 
2o8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 swiftly than before, her hands hanging beside her, and 
 a bright misty look in her eyes. 
 
 The man upon the palace steps shaded his eyes with 
 his hands, and gazed upon her and the multitude spread 
 out across the park behind her. One of the children, 
 a tiny boy, he took by the hand, and another, a girl 
 a little older, he grasped with his other hand; and 
 with the third, a boy of something over nine, beside 
 them, they all four came down the steps and crossed the 
 terrace to meet the radiant lady. 
 
 On the next terrace they met. He dropped his chil- 
 dren's hands, and stopped. He was a man of some 
 thirty years, richly clad, and handsome beyond meas- 
 ure. As he stopped, the multitude found Its voice. 
 A mighty shout went up. 
 
 "Long live the King! Long live the King!" 
 
 He paid no attention. His eyes were on the fair 
 lady before him. A cry from the oldest boy rang 
 out clear and sharp in the silence. 
 
 "Mother!" 
 
 The King held out his arms. 
 
 "My darling!" he cried. "At last! At last!" 
 
 "Beloved!" she cried, and rushed into his arms, and 
 buried her face in his shoulder. 
 
 The children clung to her, weeping, and with one 
 arm she pressed them close against her side. 
 
 The multitude found its voice again. 
 
 "Long live Queem Miranda! Long live Queen 
 Miranda!" 
 
T 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN 
 
 «KTr1 HERE'S an Old Man," said Robert to Fred- 
 die. "He lives on the mountain. I saw 
 him once." 
 
 They were sitting on the palace lawn, looking up 
 at the mountain which rose behind the King's tower. 
 The sun was directly overhead, and was accordingly 
 hidden by the cloud. The lower slopes of the moun- 
 tain were easy and gradual, but they grew steeper as 
 they ascended, and at the point where the mountain 
 entered the cloud it was a straight and smooth wall 
 of granite, plainly impossible to climb. The King's 
 eldest child fixed his big eyes on the tall young man 
 beside him. 
 
 "I like you," said he. "I wish you would take me 
 up the mountain some time for blackberries. Will 
 you?" 
 
 "If the Queen permits," said Freddie, "we will go 
 tomorrow." 
 
 A long time had passed since the Queen's return; 
 a happy time, during which the five who had come 
 with the Queen were made to feel as if they had lived 
 all their lives in a palace. The two Old Codgers 
 were found by Toby, comfortably established in a 
 double shop of their own, on one side of which the 
 Old Codger with the Wooden Leg sold tobacco, and 
 on the other side of which the Sly Old Fox sold 
 jewelry; each of them entirely contented with his for- 
 tune, and settled down for life. The Third Vice- 
 
 209 
 
210 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 President had paid his respects at the palace, and was 
 unable to talk of anything but his Museum, for which 
 he was devising many plans, including a method where- 
 by the late Mr. Matthew Speak might be assured 
 agamst ever being blown out of the window. 
 
 The saintly person who had once been the Church- 
 warden was occupied nowadays, in a little room in 
 the basement of the palace, in copying in beautiful let- 
 ters an ancient book belonging to the King. 
 
 Mr. Punch and Mr. Toby spent their time in ex- 
 ploring the city, arm in arm, very inquisitive, very 
 talkative, and making friends with everybody. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon's work in life was, it appeared, the 
 climbing of the King's Tower. Every day he dis- 
 appeared within, and every day he declared that he 
 would mount to the top before he finished; but he 
 had not yet got to the top, and there did not seem 
 much prospect of his ever doing so. 
 
 As for Freddie, — not that he was called Freddie 
 now; the King had given him a high-sounding name, — 
 the Chevalier Frederick; and by that name he was 
 spoken of by everybody, except that Toby sometimes 
 forgot and called him the Chandelier. As for the 
 Chevalier Frederick, his interest was mainly in the 
 Queen's three children, Robert, Genevieve, and James; 
 and at the present moment the oldest, Robert, was 
 sitting with the Chevalier on the palace lawn, gossiping. 
 I "We will go tomorrow," the Chevalier was saying, 
 J and then the little boy Robert went on about the old 
 man he had seen on the mountain. 
 
 "I saw him once," said Robert. "Just before Mother 
 went away. I ran away from home, I did, and I was 
 gone all day. Mother was terribly worried. I ran 
 away to the mountain, and I was muddy all over when 
 I got back, and it was dark, too! Mother was ter- 
 ribly worried. I was gone all day, I was; and I didn't 
 get back until after dark, I didn't; and I was muddy 
 
THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN 2 1 1 
 
 all over. Oh, but it was dark. Mother, she was 
 terribly worried." He stopped to think it over, and 
 then went on again. "There wasn't any Tower then. 
 It was just before the old chap came and built the 
 Tower in a night; you know about that, don't you? 
 I ran away and didn't come home until after dark, 
 I didn't; Mother was worried; and Jenny — I never 
 call her Genevieve, because Jenny's shorter — and Jenny 
 wouldn't go because she was afraid, and James was 
 too little, so I went all by myself; and it was getting 
 pretty dark, and I was starting home down the moun- 
 tain, because I knew Mother would be worried, and 
 I saw the Old Man coming down the mountain, and 
 he didn't see me, and he had a pack on his back and 
 a long stick in his hand, and a gown belted in about 
 the middle, and he was kind of fat and baldheaded; 
 and he didn't see me but I saw him, and pretty soon he 
 went down into a gully and I didn't see him any more, 
 and I came on home, because it was getting dark, and* 
 I knew Mother would be worried." 
 
 "Then perhaps we had better not go up there," said 
 Freddie. 
 
 "Oh no," said Robert. "It's a grand place to climb 
 and gather berries and flowers. And I'd like to see 
 the Old Man again. Will you take me there today?" 
 
 "Tomorrow," said Freddie, "if the Queen will 
 permit." 
 
 At this moment Mr. Hanlon appeared, somewhat 
 out of breath, and he and Freddie went into the palace 
 together. He was quite jubilant. 
 
 "Faith," said he, " 'tis a tower indade, that tower, 
 and a swate little bit of a journey to the top of it, if 
 there's iver a top at all. But it's Michael Hanlon 
 will do it, by the bones of St. Patrick, and don't ye 
 forget what I'm tellin' ye, me b'y, I've been up 
 there this day, so high, so high — ! I'll niver tell ye 
 how high. It's comin' better; me wind and me legs 
 
212 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 are better; in a wake, or two wakes, 'tis meself will 
 be fit for the grand ascent, and then there'll be news 
 from the top, and a proud look in the eye of Michael 
 Hanlon, Esquire! Wait and see, me b'y!" 
 
 The next morning, Queen Miranda having given her 
 consent, Freddie and Robert left the palace for their 
 day on the mountain. All day they wandered up the 
 trails, and in the afternoon, when their luncheon was 
 all gone and they were tired, they began to descend. 
 It was growing dark; they had had a glorious day, and 
 they were sorry it would soon be over. They stretched 
 themselves on the ground beneath a mountain oak, and 
 looked below them, past the Tower, across the roof 
 of the palace to the city. There was no living thing 
 in sight, except a bird which sailed across their view 
 and disappeared. "Well, Robert," said Freddie, "I 
 suppose the Old Man who used to be here is gone. 
 Come; we must go; your mother will be worried." 
 
 They got to their feet. As they did so, a kind of 
 groan startled them. They listened. It came again, 
 from some point near by. Freddie thought he could 
 make out a weak human voice, trying to call for help. 
 Drawing Robert after him, he climbed over a number 
 oi boulders and mounted to the top of a rise in the 
 ground, and looked down into a deep gully, covered 
 on its sides with rocks and bushes. What he saw there 
 gave him a start of alarm. 
 
 At the bottom was an old man, lying on his back, 
 with one leg doubled under him, his face up to the sky. 
 From his lips came a groan, followed by a faint cry 
 for help. His head was bald, he was rather stout, he 
 wore a long white beard, and he was clad in a short 
 dark gown, belted about the middle. His legs were 
 bare, and on the foot which was visible he wore a 
 sandal. 
 
 Robert looked over Freddie's shoulder, and whis- 
 
THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN 213 
 
 pered in his ear. "That's him! He's fallen down 
 and hurt himself." 
 
 It was true. The old man had evidently fallen, and 
 he was plainly suffering. Freddie clambered down to 
 him, and knelt beside him. The old man looked into 
 the young man's eyes, and said, in a feeble whisper: 
 
 "My leg. Broken. Help me home." 
 
 Freddie assisted him into a sitting position, and then 
 lifted him up and held him. 
 
 "I cannot walk," said the old man. "Unless you 
 can carry me, I must die here." 
 
 Freddie was properly proud of his new strength, 
 and he believed that he could carry the old man. 
 
 "Where do you live?" said he. 
 
 "Up the mountain. I will show you. I beg you 
 to carry me home." 
 
 "I will do my best," said Freddie. 
 
 He turned his back to the old man, and supporting 
 him at the same time put the old man's arms about 
 his neck, and by a great effort got the poor creature 
 on his back. Carrying him thus, he began to go halt- 
 ingly up the side of the gully. The little boy watched 
 them wonderingly. 
 
 It was a terrible journey. The old man directed 
 Freddie from moment to moment, and the way led 
 steadily up the mountain, by a course which Freddie 
 had not seen that day. The burden on Freddie's back 
 became heavier and heavier; he panted harder and 
 harder under it; he stumbled from time to time, and 
 every instant told himself that he could go no further. 
 The old man seemed to think of nothing but of get- 
 ting home. The little boy followed, staring with big 
 eyes. 
 
 Freddie had gone but a short way up the moun- 
 tainside when he felt through all his back, where it 
 touched the old man, a chill; his shoulders and throat, 
 where the arms of the old man touched them, became 
 
214 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 cold; as he struggled on, the chill increased; he felt 
 as if he were hugging to his back a burden of ice. 
 
 "Are we nearly there?" he asked, trying to wipe a 
 cold perspiration from his forehead. 
 
 "No, no," said the old man. "Go on. A long way 
 yet. You can't be tired so soon." 
 
 The cold upon Freddie's back and shoulders and 
 throat became a dead numbness; he was too cold to 
 shiver; his arms too were now becoming numb, and 
 he felt that he could hold his burden no longer. He 
 stopped. 
 
 "I must put you down," he said. "I must rest a 
 moment. I don't know what makes me so cold." 
 
 "No, no," said the old man. "Too soon! too soon! 
 Keep on!" 
 
 "I cannot," said Freddie. "I am freezing. My 
 strength is gone. I must rest." 
 
 With these words he let the old man carefully 
 down, and laid him on the ground. He stood there 
 panting and rubbing his frozen hands together. 
 
 "Stupid weakling," said the old man, staring up at 
 him, "go and search upon the mountain-side and bring 
 me hither seeds of the fennel which you will there find, 
 and be quick; for I perish." 
 
 Freddie and the little boy hastened away together, 
 and at a distance on the mountain-side found, after 
 a long search, a few plants of the fennel, with which 
 they hurried back to the old man. 
 
 He was gone. 
 
 They looked far and near; they examined every 
 nook and cranny; the mountain was steep at this 
 point, and difficult for any sound man; for an old 
 man, crippled, it seemed impossible, but he was no- 
 where to be found: he was gone. 
 
 Freddie and Robert turned homeward, and made 
 hard work of it. The little boy became extremely 
 heated with his labor; but Freddie remained as cold 
 
THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN 215 
 
 as ever. It is true that he perspired, but the beads 
 upon his forehead were like the beads upon ice-cold 
 glass. His hands were so numb that when he cut 
 them slightly on a rock he felt no pain. His back, 
 where the old man had clung to it with his body, was 
 coldest of all; he was so stiff that he could scarcely 
 bend his arms or body; many times the little boy had 
 to help him down; the chill spread; at the foot of 
 the mountain his legs were nearly as cold as his 
 arms; when they passed the Tower, his knees were 
 as if frozen, and would not bend; the little boy put 
 his arm about him and tried to help him walk; he 
 began to lose knowledge of his whereabouts; he held 
 out a stiff arm before him, like a blind man, and 
 dragged one foot after the other like a man whose 
 legs are made of stone. The little boy, weeping to 
 himself, took his icy outstretched hand, and led him 
 home. 
 
 The palace door was thrown open. The little boy 
 rushed in with a cry, and turned around to his com- 
 panion. The white-faced rigid creature which was 
 Freddie stood in the doorway, staring vacantly, and fell 
 slowly forward on its face upon the floor. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE king's tower 
 
 FREDDIE was very ill. He was so ill that 
 after a week the King gave up all hope, 
 and believed he would die. The Queen wept 
 bitterly; she scarcely left his side; at night she did 
 not sleep for weeping, and by day she sat by his bed 
 and watched his cold white face. His friends were 
 not allowed to see him, and of these it appeared that 
 Mr. Hanlon had been gone for some days up the 
 Tower. 
 
 All that the best doctors In the city could do had 
 been done, but the Chevalier was no better. He lay 
 under the blankets, cold as ice and motionless as stone; 
 and his eyes, big round eyes like the eyes of a child, 
 stared up strangely out of deep sockets. They looked 
 up at the King, who was bending down over the bed 
 and smiling encouragingly. The Queen and her three 
 children, Robert, Genevieve, and James, were stand- 
 ing close by, but they could not smile. 
 
 "Come, Chevalier," said the King, "you will be well 
 soon, I am sure." 
 
 A faint voice came from the pale lips; not the voice 
 of a grown man, but the voice of a child. 
 
 "That isn't my name," it said, "my name is — 
 Fweddie." 
 
 The King went away, and took his children with 
 him; and after they had gone the Queen heard the 
 childish voice again from the bed. 
 
 "I want to see Aunt Amanda." 
 
 216 
 
THE KING'S TOWER 217 
 
 The Queen went to him, and stood beside the bed. 
 He looked up at her. 
 
 "You aren't Aunt Amanda," he said. "I want to 
 see Aunt Amanda." 
 
 "I think that was my name once," said the Queen. 
 "Will you talk to me?" ^ 
 
 He looked at her again, and she saw that he did 
 not know her. 
 
 "My farver sent me," he said. "Mr. Toby has 
 gone to the barber-shop, and my farver he wants a 
 pound of Cage-Roach Mitchner." 
 
 "Mr. Toby is here in the palace now, and I'm sure 
 he—" 
 
 "I don't know about any palace. I can't wait long. 
 My farver told me to hurry." 
 
 The Queen said no more, and Freddie appeared to' 
 go to sleep. The night came on, and the Queen still 
 sat by his side. It grew very late; her children had 
 long since gone to bed, and even the King was asleep 
 in his own apartments. The palace was silent, and 
 there was scarcely a light anywhere in the great place 
 except the light of a taper on a table in Freddie's room. 
 The Queen was bending forward, watching the face on 
 the pillow. The eyes were closed, the lips were to- 
 gether, and there was no sign of breathing. She knew 
 that it could not be much longer; she buried her face 
 in her hands and wept bitterly. 
 
 A gentle tap upon the door aroused her. She rose 
 and admitted Mr. Toby and Mr. Punch, Thomas the 
 Inferior, and Mr. Hanlon. 
 
 "Quick, ma'am," said Mr. Hanlon. "There's not 
 a minute to be lost. If you plase, I'll ask ye to put 
 on yer bonnet in a hurry, ma'am. We're off on a 
 journey, and the poor sick young lad's coming along 
 with us. If you'll just be in a hurry with the bonnet, 
 ma am ! 
 
 The Queen, scarcely realizing what she was doing, 
 
2i8 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 left the room, and went first to the nursery, where 
 she bent over her three sleeping children and kissed 
 them each, and murmured a loving good-bye above 
 them, as if she were going to leave them; and for a 
 long, long time she gazed at each rosy face, as if to 
 fix it in her memory forever. 
 
 When she returned to the room, wearing a shawl 
 over her head and shoulders, she was startled to see 
 that the sick youth was sitting upright in a chair, thickly 
 wrapped in blankets. His round childlike eyes were 
 wide open, and to her surprise a faint smile seemed to 
 hover about his lips. 
 
 She looked at the others. Each held in his hand 
 an empty hour-glass. 
 
 "Plase to get your hour-glass, ma'am," said Mr. 
 Hanlon, "and Freddie's too." 
 
 Freddie's hour-glass was soon found in a drawer 
 in the same room; the Queen's she brought in a mo- 
 ment from another room. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon picked up from the floor, where he had 
 previously laid it, a sm.all canvas bag, and placed it on 
 the table under the candle. All of the empty hour- 
 glasses he placed upon the table, and unscrewed the part 
 of each by which it was designed to receive its load 
 of sand. He lifted his bag, and out of it poured into 
 each glass a quantity of fine white sand. "A little 
 more or less won't matter a mite," said he, when he 
 had filled them all. "A foine time I've had getting 
 the sand, 'tis sure, but it's the true article, straight 
 from the hand of the old crayture himself, and 'tis 
 him, we're going to this very minute, and the young 
 lad with us. By the sand in the hour-glasses we'll 
 get back to the old crayture in one-tinth the time it 
 took me to find him without it, and by the same 
 we'll get him to save for us the poor lad's life, or me 
 name's not Michael." 
 
 Each now took his hour-glass in his hand. They 
 
THE KING'S TOWER 2 1 9 
 
 were the same hour-glasses they had bought of Shiraz 
 the Persian, and the sand which was now in them was 
 the same sort of fine white sand which had been in 
 them before their ordeal in the fire. 
 
 Mr. Punch and Mr. Toby lifted the sick youth from 
 his chair, and carried him between them, in a sitting 
 position, towards the door. Mr. Hanlon looked at 
 him anxiously, and commanded haste. 
 
 In a moment the whole party were in the hall, and 
 in a few moments more they were crossing the lawn 
 towards King's Tower. It was a clear night, and the 
 sky was spangled with stars. 
 
 Mr. Hanlon opened the door of the Tower, and 
 when they were all within closed it again. 
 
 "Madam and gintlemen," said he, "we are going 
 to the top of the Tower. I have been there meself ; 
 and there's wan at the top who can bring back our 
 young frind to life, if he's a mind to do it." 
 
 "Oh!" gasped the Queen in terror. "I must not 
 go to the top of this tower. Ah!" she stopped sud- 
 denly and went on in a determined voice. "I will, 
 though. If it is to be, then it must be. Our young 
 Chevalier came here for me, and I will go with 
 him ! If my strength holds out, I will go even to the 
 top of the Tower, whatever evil may befall me 
 there!" 
 
 " 'Tis not strength that's needed, madam," said Mr. 
 Hanlon, "for the old crayture that give me the sand 
 was willing to help us up to him, and the sand will 
 make the travellln' easy, or else the old haythen has 
 much desayved me. 'Twas all I could do to get to 
 the top, belave me, and ye'd niver do it without the 
 sand in the glasses, let alone carry up the young lad 
 in your arms besides. Now we'll be going up the 
 stairs, and if the old crayture didn't desayve me, you're 
 to hold your hour-glasses in your hands, and see what 
 happens." 
 
220 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Mr. Hanlon went up first; then came the Queen, 
 and after her Mr. Punch and Mr. Toby, bearing be- 
 tween them in an upright position the stiff cold form 
 of the young Chevalier; and last of all came Thomas 
 the Inferior, in his long brown gown and sandals. 
 
 Each climbed slowly, but the steps appeared to flow 
 downward under their feet with great rapidity. They 
 were not conscious of selecting any particular tread 
 to step on; but while a foot was rising from one step 
 to the next, it seemed as if a thousand steps were 
 passing downward, until the foot came down and found 
 itself on a perfectly motionless tread. Undoubtedly 
 they were mounting, without unusual exertion, a thou- 
 sand steps at a time. 
 
 Even at that rate of progress, the journey upward 
 seemed an endless one. They paused sometimes to go 
 into one of the rooms on a landing for a moment's 
 rest, and at those times they looked out of a window. 
 It was not long before they were so high that on 
 looking out, the City's lights were no more than a 
 glowing blur. At the last Avindow on their upward 
 progress they looked up at the cloud; it was immedi- 
 ately above their heads. After that there were no 
 more windows. They went on upward in silence, 
 aware in the darkness of the swift flow of steps down- 
 ward under them as they raised their feet. Each 
 observed that as he raised his foot the sand in his 
 hour-glass flowed downward a thousand times more 
 i rapidly, as If time were suddenly running faster than 
 it was used to running. 
 
 The walls of the tower were by this time coming 
 closer together, and the stair was even steeper than 
 before. They were panting for breath, and Mr. Punch 
 and Mr. Toby seemed to be all but exhausted. "We 
 are almost at the top," said Mr. Hanlon. "Keep 
 on. Don't give up." 
 
 It was now, because there were no more rooms nor 
 
THE KING'S TOWER 221 
 
 windows, completely dark. The face of the sick youth 
 could not be seen, and no one knew whether he was 
 still living. Even the sand in their hour-glasses they 
 were now unable to see. 
 
 *'We are almost there," said Mr. Hanlon. "Only 
 another minute or two. 'Tis easy work to what I 
 had in coming up alone." 
 
 Mr. Punch gave a, groan. "Hi carn't go another 
 step," said he. "Hi'm completely — " 
 
 At this moment Mr. Hanlon stopped upon a land- 
 ing. It had been a long while since there had been 
 a landing, and they were all glad to rest upon it. They 
 crowded about Mr. Hanlon in the dark. 
 
 "The door is over there," said he. "Keep close 
 to me." 
 
 He walked a few feet forward across the level floor, 
 and came to a stop again. 
 
 " 'Tis the top of the tower," said he. "I hope 
 we're not too late to save the young lad's life. Stand 
 close behind me." 
 
 He moved forward again, and stopped; he was evi- 
 dently feeling a wall with his hands. 
 
 "Ah!" said he. " 'Tis the door itself. Now, thin, 
 we'll see!" 
 
 He knocked upon the door with his knuckles. 
 
 There was no response. 
 
 He knocked again. 
 
 There was a sound upon the other side of the door, 
 as of the rattling of a chain and the sliding of a bolt. 
 
 A slit of light appeared up and down in the dark 
 wall; it became wider; it was apparent that the door 
 was opening; and in another moment the door was 
 flung wide, and in the doorway stood an Old Man, 
 holding up in his right hand a lantern in which glim- 
 mered a candle. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE SORCERER S DEN 
 
 "E WAS an old man, rather stout, dressed in 
 a short gown tied in with a cord about the 
 middle, and wearing sandals on his feet. He 
 stooped somewhat; a white beard hung to his waist; 
 his head was bald, except for a forelock of white hair 
 which drooped over his forehead towards his eyes. 
 There was a humorous twinkle in his eye, and a smile 
 overspread his broad round face. 
 
 " 'Tis the old parrty who will cure the Chivalier," 
 said Mr, Hanlon, behind his hand. 
 
 "It's the Old Man of the Mountain," whispered 
 Toby. 
 
 "It's the Magician who built the Tower," whis- 
 pered Queen Miranda, in alarm. 
 
 "Hit's me own father, as ever was!" cried Mr. 
 Punch, aloud. "Greetings, old dear! 'Ere's a sur- 
 prise, what? 'Owever did you come 'ere? Hi'm no 
 end glad to see you, and the larst person Hi should 
 'ave thought to see in this — My word, what a lark!" 
 
 "Come in. Punch," said the old gentleman, affably, 
 "and your friends too. I'm very glad to see you, my 
 boy. I've had some trouble in getting; you here, bu£ 
 here you are at last, thanks to my good friend Han- 
 lon, and you are now well out of the hands of Shiraz. 
 Put the Little Bov down in that chair, and we'll see 
 what we can do for him!" 
 
 To speak of a grown-up youth with a mustache 
 as a Little Boy seemed hardly respectful, but Freddie 
 did not seem to mind it; indeed, his big round child- 
 
 222 
 
THE SORCERER'S DEN 223 
 
 like eyes dwelt fondly on the old man, and there was 
 something like a smile about his lips. He was seated 
 gently in a chair within the room, and while Mr. 
 Punch's father set down his lantern on a table, the 
 others looked about them. 
 
 They were in a small square room with a low ceil- 
 ing. By the dim light of the candle they could see that 
 it was bare and dusty; cobwebs hung in all the corners; 
 there seemed to be no windows, but set upright in one 
 wall was what looked like the back of a clock, as tall 
 as a man. Opposite the door by which they had 
 entered was another door. Around the walls were 
 shelves, from floor to ceiling, crowded with hour- 
 glasses of all sizes. 
 
 The old gentleman observed the look which Toby 
 cast at the shelves. 
 
 ''One of my store-rooms," said he. "I've got a 
 good many of 'em, all told, and in fact you'll find a 
 store-room of mine in the top of nearly every clock- 
 tower in the world. It takes a deal of space to keep 
 all the hour-glasses in, I can tell you. If you'll give 
 me yours, I'll put 'em away for you. Shiraz got 'em 
 away from me once, but he won't do it again. He 
 manages to steal one now and then, when I'm away, 
 but I usually get 'em back, sooner or later." 
 
 He collected the hour-glasses from his visitors, and 
 put them away on a shelf. 
 
 "Look 'ere, parent," said Mr. Punch, "hif I didn't 
 know better, I'd s'y as I'd seen this room before. 
 There's the back of the clock, and the door over there 
 looks like — " 
 
 "You've a sharp eye, Punch, my boy," said the old 
 gentleman. "Quite a detective you are, my son. Now, 
 then, we'd better get busy. Aunt Amanda, do you 
 want me to cast off your enchantment?" 
 
 "Why do you call me that?" asked Queen Miranda. 
 
224 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Because that's your name. Don't you know who 
 you are?" 
 
 "I know I was enchanted once, under the name of 
 Aunt Amanda." 
 
 "No, no. You're enchanted now, under the name 
 of Queen Miranda." 
 
 "But Shiraz the Persian told us he would disenchant 
 us, and he did." 
 
 "No, no. You were yourselves before, and now you 
 are enchanted." 
 
 "My brain is in a whirl," said Queen Miranda. "Are 
 we ourselves now, or were we ourselves before?" 
 
 "By crackey," said Toby, "it's too much for me, and 
 I give it up. Anyway, what we want to know is, can 
 you cure the Chevalier?" 
 
 "I can, and I will," said the old man. "There's 
 nothing the matter with him, except that he isn't him- 
 self. As soon as he's himself again, he'll be well. 
 He was given the chance once before, but he didn't 
 know how to use it; he made a great mistake." 
 
 "What mistake?" said Toby. 
 
 "He made the mistake of carrying the Old Man 
 of the Mountain on his back. If he had only lifted 
 him up in his arms before him, the Old Man would 
 have been as light as a feather, and Freddie would 
 have been himself again in a flash. But of course he 
 didn't know. We've got to correct his mistake." 
 
 "Well, by crickets," said Toby, "this is Correction 
 Island, right enough. Blamed if I know which is the 
 mistake and which is the correction. It looks to me 
 as if it was a mistake to be corrected, and we've got 
 to correct the correction back again." 
 
 "Something like that," said the old man, smiling. 
 "I'm going to undo the correction of each one of you, 
 and then you'll all be yourselves once more, instead 
 of these false things you now are." 
 
THE SORCERER'S DEN 225 
 
 Queen Miranda looked at the ruby ring on her 
 finger, and wept quietly to herself. As for Freddie, 
 his eyes never left the face of the old man. 
 
 The old man stooped over Freddie, and laid his 
 cheek against the young Chevalier's pale forehead, and 
 then against the young man's cheeks; he then threw 
 aside the blankets and sat himself down on Freddie's 
 knees. His body pressed the young man's breast, and 
 his cheek touched the young man's cheeks one after the 
 other. It was some moments before there was any 
 change. The others watched anxiously. A red glow 
 began to appear in Freddie's cheeks, and his eyes be- 
 came brighter. He raised his hands; he moved his 
 head; he looked about him; he smiled into the face of 
 the old man. 
 
 "You are better?" said the old man. 
 
 "I'm very well," said Freddie, in a clear voice. 
 "But I think I must have been sick. Have I been 
 sick?" 
 
 "Rather," said the old man. "But you are going to 
 be yourself again in another minute. Now, then; put 
 your arms around me and lift me off. Can you do 
 that?" .... 
 
 "Easily," said Freddie, and he lifted the old man in 
 his arms, and rising to his feet at the same time, tossed 
 the old man off with an easy gesture. 
 
 As the old man touched the floor, there was no 
 longer any Chevalier. Freddie was standing before 
 the chair in his own person; the Little Boy once more, 
 with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks. He looked 
 around in surprise. 
 
 "Where are Aunt Amanda and the others?" said 
 the Little Boy. 
 
 "Wait just a minute, Freddie," said the old man. 
 "Now, madam," he said to Queen Miranda, "if you 
 will be kind enough to lift me up and toss me away — " 
 
 Queen Miranda looked at him doubtfully. He was 
 
226 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 a solid-looking person, and it seemed absurd to think 
 of lifting him. But she did as he directed, and placing 
 her hands under his arms she found that he weighed 
 no more than a baby. She held him up off the floor. 
 
 "Now cast me off," said he. 
 
 She tossed him away with an easy gesture, and he 
 alighted on his feet with a bound. 
 
 *'Aunt Amanda !" cried Freddie, and rushed Into her 
 arms. 
 
 "Land sakes !" said she. "I thought you were never 
 coming. Where are all the others? I'm glad there's 
 nobody but this old man to see me in this bedraggled 
 bonnet. Why don't that Toby Littleback come? Now 
 ain't it like him to keep me waiting here all night? I 
 never see such an exasperatin' — " 
 
 "Wait just one moment. Aunt Amanda," said the 
 old man. "I'll have him here immediately." 
 
 He stood before Toby, and directed him what to 
 do. Toby seized him in his strong hands and lifted 
 him up over his head like a feather pillow; and such 
 a toss did Toby give him as sent him flying across 
 the room alm.ost to the wall. The old man came down 
 on his feet with a bound. 
 
 "You Toby Littleback !" said Aunt Amanda. "Ain't 
 it just like you to keep me and Freddie waiting here 
 all night, while — And where's Mr. Punch and all the 
 rest of 'em?" 
 
 Toby stood before her, with his hands in his pockets. 
 His hump was on his back In its rightful place, and 
 he looked exactly as he had looked the first time Freddie 
 had seen him, standing In the doorway of the Old 
 Tobacco Shop. 
 
 "I ain't been nowhere. Aunt Amanda," said Toby. 
 "And I don't know where Mr. Punch Is, neither. I 
 ain't his guardian, anyway. The last I seen of him, 
 as far as I remember, was In Shiraz's garden, lookin' 
 round at the flowers. By crackey, If he can't take care 
 
THE SORCERER'S DEN 227 
 
 of himself, I ain't a-going to do it for him. Maybe 
 the old gentleman here can tell you, if you want to 
 know." 
 
 "Wait just a moment," said the old man. "I'll 
 have him here immediately." 
 
 Mr. Punch laughed immoderately as he picked up 
 his own father and tossed him in the air and hurled 
 him across the room. The old man did not seem to 
 mind it a bit, but joined in the laugh as he came down 
 on his feet with a bounce. Mr. Punch was immedi- 
 ately himself again; his hump was on his back, his 
 breast stuck out, his long-tailed coat and knee breeches 
 were as before, and he looked as if he might just have 
 stepped down from his wooden box beside the Tobacco 
 Shop's door. 
 
 "Wery glad," said he, "to myke you acquainted 
 with me old parent; and a wery good parent too, 
 hif " 
 
 "That's enough. Punch," said his father. "Now 
 we'll bring on the Churchwarden." 
 
 In another moment the thin and saintly-looking 
 Thomas the Inferior was gone, and in his place was 
 the fat and comfortable Churchwarden, blinking at his 
 friends through his round spectacles. 
 
 "I have been considering," said he, "that it would 
 be highly desirable, after all I have passed through 
 lately, to sit in my chair on the pavement against the 
 wall of my church with a pipe and a newspaper; and 
 I have concluded that " 
 
 "We will now call Mr. Hanlon," said the old man. 
 
 From the time Mr. Hanlon placed his hands under 
 the old man's arms his tongue was rattling on at a 
 prodigious speed; and as he tossed the old man lightly 
 away like a doll he was saying, "And niver once did 
 the spacheless man and the deaf wife have anny worrds 
 
 except once; and 'twas then that ," But he spoke 
 
 no more. He was himself again. He was dumb. 
 
228 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Toby greeted him warmly, but he only nodded his head 
 vigorously, and smiled his old-time cheerful smile. 
 
 "That's all," said the old man. 
 
 "But the two Old Codgers " began Toby. 
 
 "They will not be here," said the old man. "No use 
 waiting. They made their choice some time ago. They 
 are as much themselves now as they ever were, and they 
 Avill remain where they are in perfect contentment. No 
 need to bother about them. AH that rem»ains now is to 
 bid you farewell, and wish you a pleasant journey." 
 
 "Have we far to go?" said Toby. 
 
 "You'll see," said the old gentleman, going to the 
 door, that was opposite the one by which they had 
 entered, and throwing it open. 
 
 He stood aside as they passed, and smiled upon each 
 with a kind and fatherly smile. He placed his hand 
 on Freddie's head, and turned the Little Boy's face 
 up so that he could look down into his eyes. 
 
 "Remember!" he said. "Never carry the Old Man 
 of the Mountain on your back. Carry him before you 
 in your hands, and he will be as light as a feather. 
 Now farewell." 
 
 He gently pushed them out and closed the door be- 
 hind them, and they went slowly down a dark stair. 
 Toby held Freddie's hand, and Mr. Punch helped Aunt 
 Amanda. They could see very little, and they knew 
 very little where they were, until they found themselves 
 after a time on a level floor, and feeling the wall with 
 their hands came to a pair of swinging doors. Through I 
 these doors they passed, and Toby knocked his knee 
 against something in the dark. 
 
 "It's a long bench !" said Toby. "And here's a sight 
 of other long benches ! Blamed if they don't seem like 
 pews in a church!" 
 
 A dim light as of tall windows was visible at some 
 distance on their left. 
 
 The Churchwarden pushed forward and walked 
 
THE SORCERER'S DEN 229 
 
 swiftly here and there with the step of one who knows 
 the way. In a moment he returned. 
 
 "It's a church," he said, calmly. "It's my church. 
 This way, madam and gentlemen." 
 
 He led the way to the left. Under a great round 
 window which could be dimly seen in the wall was a 
 wide door, before which they all paused. 
 
 "As captain of this party," said Aunt Amanda, "my 
 orders is that we open the door and see what will 
 happen next." 
 
 "Ay, ay, ma'am," said the Churchwarden, and 
 opened the door. 
 
 In a moment they were standing under the stars on 
 a brick pavement before a church, and on the pave- 
 ment against the church wall was an empty chair. 
 
 "Ah!" said the Churchwarden, and sat down in the 
 chair. 
 
 "Mercy on us!" cried Aunt Amanda. "We're 
 home!" 
 
 "Blamed if we ain't!" said Toby. "It's our own 
 street, and I can almost see the Tobacco Shop from 
 here!" 
 
 "Harfter a life of adventure," said Mr. Punch, "one 
 will find it wery pleasant to stand quietly on one's little 
 perch and rest one's legs and see one's old friends go 
 In and hout at the Old Tobacco Shop once more, watch- 
 ing for the 'ands of the clock to come together for a 
 
 bit of relaxation with one's " 
 
 "All right, young feller!" cried Toby to Freddie. 
 "Come with me. Mr. Punch, take Aunt Amanda 
 home. I'll be with you as soon as I've got Freddie 
 safe." 
 
 Aunt Amanda and Mr. Punch went off together 
 towards the Old Tobacco Shop. Mr. Hanlon, after 
 shaking hands all round, departed for the Gaunt Street 
 Theatre, where he would be no longer troubled by the 
 imps, who had long since been destroyed by the Odour 
 
230 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 of Sanctity. The Churchwarden preferred to enjoy for 
 awhile the comfort of his old chair by the Church wall, 
 and Toby and Freddie left him there, his hands folded 
 placidly across his stomach. 
 
 Freddie and Toby crossed the street-car track, hand 
 in hand together. The horse had gone to bed for the 
 night, and there was no danger. All the houses were 
 dark. It was very late. No light was to be seen any- 
 where, except a gas-lamp at the next corner. The 
 streets were silent and deserted. Freddie yawned. 
 
 Freddie's house was dark, like all the rest. A nar- 
 row brick passage-way followed a fence to the rear, 
 between this house and the next, and a gate opened 
 from the sidewalk into this passage. Freddie and Toby 
 went through this gate and crept quietly to the back- 
 yard of Freddie's house. The kitchen-door was locked, 
 but T oby found a window which was unfastened. He 
 raised it noiselessly, and helped Freddie to climb in. 
 With a whispered good-night the Little Boy left his 
 friend and tiptoed into the house and up the back 
 stairs in the dark to his own room. 
 
 His bed was there in its old place, and the covers 
 were turned down. He did not stop to say his prayers. 
 He yawned and stretched his arms. He wanted nothing 
 now but to lie snug and safe under the cool sheets. He 
 threw off his clothes and left them on the floor. He 
 knew where his night-gown was. He crept into bed; 
 he pulled the covers up to his ears; he nestled his head 
 into the pillow, and breathed a deep sigh. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 THE next morning, when Freddie awoke, his 
 mother and father were standing over his bed. 
 "I think he had better not go there any- 
 more," his father was saying. 
 
 "Oh, I don't think it will do him any harm now," 
 said his mother. 
 
 "It all comes of his staying away so long," said his 
 father. "I always told him to hurry back, and just 
 see how long he stayed this time. If he can't come back 
 in less than six months or six years or heaven knows 
 how long, he'd better not go at all." 
 
 "Oh," said his mother, "I'm sure he'll come back 
 promptly after this." 
 
 "I couldn't," said Freddie. "It took such a long 
 time to get to the Island, and there was all the trouble 
 with the pirates, and it was a terrible long journey 
 before we got to the palace, and of course we couldn't 
 run away from the queen after we'd gone all that long 
 way with her, and the queen's children didn't want me 
 to go anyway, and there wasn't any way to get back, 
 except for finding out how to get to the top of the 
 tower, and maybe I wouldn't have got back at all if I 
 hadn't met the Old Man of the Mountain, and got 
 sick and cured again by Mr. Punch's father, and I 
 might have got drowned when the ship disappeared, or 
 I might have had my head cut off by the pirates, and 
 then you wouldn't have seen me any more, and you'd 
 have been sorry." 
 
 231 
 
232 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 His father looked at his mother, and nodded his 
 head. 
 
 "He'd better stay in bed today," said he. "We won't 
 talk to him about it until tomorrow." 
 
 "Yes," said his mother, "that will be much better. 
 Poor little Freddie!" 
 
 Freddie did not know why he should be called poor, 
 but he was still tired from the adventurous life he had 
 recently lived, and he was very glad to remain in bed 
 all day. 
 
 The next morning, after his father had said good- 
 bye for the day, his mother allowed him to get up, 
 and a little later to go out into the sunshine. He 
 strolled down the street, enjoying the familiar sights 
 after his long absence. He found his legs a little weak; 
 he must have been very ill indeed at the King's palace, 
 and he could not expect to get over it in one day. He 
 crossed the street-car track, and on the pavement 
 before the church he saw a well-known figure. 
 
 The Churchwarden was sitting in his chair tilted 
 back against the wall, smoking a long pipe and reading 
 a newspaper. As Freddie approached he put down 
 his paper and looked at him over his spectacles. 
 
 "Good morning," said he. "I'm glad to see you 
 back again. I hear you've been away." And he 
 winked his eye at Freddie in a very knowing manner. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. "I guess I must have 
 been pretty sick." 
 
 "No doubt about it, my son. But of course I knew 
 all the time you'd pull through." 
 
 Freddie did not believe it for a moment; obviously 
 the Churchwarden was bragging. 
 
 "The street looks pretty good," said Freddie, "after 
 being away so long. Would you rather sit here on the 
 pavement than do anything else?" 
 
 "I believe you, son. I'd rather sit here on a sunny 
 
THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 233 
 
 day with a pipe and a newspaper than have all the 
 treasure of the Incas." 
 
 Freddie was glad to hear that the Churchwarden 
 did not regret the loss of his share of the treasure, 
 though whether Captain Lingo belonged to the Incas 
 he did not know. 
 
 "I don't care anything about the treasure myself," 
 said he. "I'm too glad to be well again and back In 
 our own street." 
 
 "I'm glad I'm here myself, son. And If you happen 
 to see Toby Littleback this morning, tell him I'm alive 
 and resting well, considering." 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie, and continued his stroll. 
 
 The Old Tobacco Shop, when he arrived, looked as 
 it had looked on the fateful day when he had last seen 
 it. He paused before the door, and gazed at Mr. 
 Punch. He half expected the little man to step down 
 and shake hands with him; but Mr. Punch did not 
 move a muscle; he did not even look at Freddie; he 
 held out in one hand a packet of black cigars, and his 
 wooden face, if it expressed anything at all, showed 
 the great calm which he must have felt when he got 
 back to his little perch. Freddie looked up at the 
 clock in the tower, with some thought that the hands 
 might be together; but It was a quarter past ten, and 
 anyway Mr. Punch's father was probably by this time 
 far away in some other of his store-rooms about the 
 world. 
 
 Freddie entered the shop. Mr. Toby was behind 
 the counter, opening a package of tobacco. 
 
 "Aha! young feller!" he cried. "Back again, sure 
 enough ! Blamed If It don't seem as If you'd been away 
 from here for a year. And a mighty sick chap you 
 were, that's a fact. I reckon we all thought you were 
 going to die, maybe; by crackey, I never seen anyone 
 so pale in my life. Are you all right now?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Freddie. "And I'm glad to be back. 
 
234 THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 Are you glad to be here in the shop, the same as ever?" 
 
 "Me? You bet I am. You couldn't buy me to 
 leave this shop, not if you offered me all the money 
 that Captain Kidd ever buried. No, sir. And look 
 here, young man; I reckon you ain't surprised to see 
 that the Chinaman's head is gone; eh?" 
 
 Freddie looked at the shelf behind Toby, and sure 
 enough, the Chinaman's head was gone. He knew, of 
 course, that It was lying at the bottom of the ocean. 
 
 "I kind of lost it one day," said Toby, winking his 
 eye. "Mislaid it, you know, or lost it, one or the 
 other, I don't know which, — ^but, anyway, I reckon it 
 won't never be found. It's gone. I hope you don't 
 mind it now, do you?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Freddie. He was glad to know that 
 Mr. Toby was not still feeling disturbed because he 
 had left it on board The Sieve. 
 
 "All right, then," said Toby. "You'd better go in 
 and see Aunt Amanda." 
 
 Freddie opened the door at the rear of the shop and 
 went into the back room. Aunt Amanda was sitting 
 by the table, sewing. 
 
 On the table were the wax flowers and the album 
 and the double glasses through which you looked at the 
 twin pictures. The room was just as if they had never 
 left it. 
 
 "Eshyereerilart," said Aunt Amanda, taking a hand- 
 ful of pins from her mouth. "Bless your dear little 
 heart, Fm glad you're back again. Are you well? Sit 
 down on the hassock." 
 
 Freddie took his customary place on the hassock at 
 her feet. He looked up at her and wondered If she 
 were sorry she had been a queen once and was a queen 
 no more. 
 
 "Yes'm," said he. "Fm all well now." 
 
 "And glad to be back here In the shop again?" 
 
 "Yes'm; I cert'n'y am." 
 
THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 235 
 
 'Ah, yes," said Aunt Amanda, "there's no^ place like the 
 Old Tobacco Shop, after all." 
 
--G THE OLD TOBACCO SHOP 
 
 "Ah, yes," said Aunt Amanda, "there's no place like 
 the Old Tobacco Shop, after all. I wouldn't exchange 
 it for a palace if you'd give it to me." 
 
 "Wouldn't you?" said Freddie, a little surprised at 
 this. 
 
 "I should say not. I wouldn't be myself in a palace. 
 I'm pretty well satisfied here." 
 
 "But what about the children?" said Freddie. 
 
 "The children?" asked Aunt Amanda. 
 
 "Yes. Robert and Jenny and James. You know." 
 
 Aunt Amanda looked at him for a moment, and then 
 nodded her head and sighed. 
 
 "Yes," she said. "You know about them, don't you? 
 I forgot that you knew. Yes, I miss them a good deal, 
 and I suppose I even cry sometimes because I haven't 
 got them. But I love to think about them. I'm happy 
 thinking about them, even if I can't have them." 
 
 "James was the littlest," said Freddie. 
 
 "Yes," said Aunt Amanda, nodding her head to her- 
 self as If at a gentle memory. 
 
 "He was too little to go out much with the others," 
 said Freddie. 
 
 "Yes," said Aunt Amanda, "he was too little." 
 
 "And Jenny," said Freddie, "she wouldn't go with 
 Robert the day he ran away. He wanted her to, but 
 she wouldn't." 
 
 "No," said Aunt Amanda, "she wouldn't." 
 
 "He was gone all day," said Freddie. 
 
 "Yes," said Aunt Amanda, "he was gone all day, 
 and he didn't get back until after dark. I didn't know 
 where he was. When he got back It was dark, and 
 he was muddy all over. I was terribly worried." 
 
 THE END. 
 
I 
 
C.OVFR BOOK SYSTEN^