Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A RASH EXPERIMENT THE hands on the wharf had been working all Saturday night and well into the Sunday morning to finish the Foam, and now, at ten o'clock, with hatches down and freshly-scrubbed decks, the skipper and mate stood watching the tide as it rose slowly over the smooth Thames mud. " What time's she coming ? " inquired the skipper, turning a lazy eye up at the wharf. "About ha'-past ten, she said," replied the mate. " It's very good o' you to turn out and let her have your state-room." " Don't say another word about that," said the skipper impressively. " I've met your wife once or twice, George, an' I must say that a nicer spoken woman, an' a more well-be'aved one, I've seldom seen." " Same to you," said the mate; " your wife I mean." " Any man," continued the skipper, " as would lay in a comfortable state-room, George, and leave a lady a-trying to turn and to dress and ondress herself in a pokey little locker ought to be ashamed of himself." " You see, it's the luggage they bring," said the mate, slowly refilling his pipe. " What they want with it all I can't think. As soon as my old woman makes up her mind to come for a trip, tomorrow being Bank Holiday, an' she being in the mind for a outing, what does she do ? Goes down Commercial Road and buys a bonnet far beyond her station." " They're all like it," said the skipper; " mine's just as bad. What does that boy want ? " ' The boy approached the edge of the jetty, and, peering down at them, answered for himself. " Who's Captain Bunnett ?" he demanded, shrilly. " That's me, my lad," said the skipper, looking " I've got a letter for yer," said the boy, holding it out. The skipper held out his hands and caught it; and, after reading the contents, felt his beard and looked at the mate. ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.