Once Aboard the Lugger-- The History of George and his Mary

n Meath

k-browed George laboured to the station. Silent

bles she ate it, tears in her pretty eyes. In the restaurant George bought himself a huge cigar. This man was a de

ad no

elped his poor Mary to a corner; roughly dumped the cat

ad no

t Mary, putting a giant sniff upon her emotions,

that George made answer. "Thos

ad no

y they alighted; silently labou

o kind; and I-" He checked. "Could you let us have some tea, Mrs. Pinking? Afterwards I'll have a talk

m the table, gloomily gazing from the window. Tiny sniffs

. Most painfully his Mary was spluttering over a cup of tea. With tremb

r. "Don't cry, darling

d, "I'm not crying-I'm la-laughing," a

ackcloth skirts; scu

clear pipe of his Mary's glee, clear, compelling, setting him off again. When she would gasp for breath the

d have seen yourself standing th

When I misto

"Mr. Marra

: "Mrs. M

rge wiped his running eyes; Mary tremendously blew her lit

r after that,

It's no good being miserable o

that golden head upon his manly shoulder; he fetched his right arm about her; she nursed her

wed their prospec

e cart," George summed

s' ridiculous specific. "We've got each

just about three pounds-over from what Marrapit gave m

gled the

drawing her dusky hangings about the room when a

I

ng. Like a great gay bundle of many-coloured toy balloons suddenly released, they

legs; paced th

he was most tremendous. She watche

ight as rain." He caught the admiring glance in his Mary's eye; inhaled and gusted fort

!" she softl

haven't refused it, I mean. Well, I shall take it. The screw's pretty rotten, but up in the North-in the N

actical, womanish side of her. "C

lisations. George jerked back: "How do I know? Oh, don't interrupt like th

cused herself. "Of

ake the job, dearest. I'll take it for next month. And-listen-we'll marr

k; could only breat

everybody go hang! We'll have to work it through a registrar. I'm not quite sure how it's done, but I'll find out tomorrow. I know you both have to have been resident in the place fo

still had the refusal of this locum?-rather! but he would make certain, tomorrow. Was he sure they both could live upon the salary?-rather! he would prove it to-morrow. Could they really get married at a registrar's within a few

nd flood of their delight when

d. "I must fix it up with Mrs. Pinking.

o expect but going out to work again; and you weren't qualified. And now-now, although we've lost our little Runnygate home" (she could not stop

d her. "It will. Righ

ng future. "Think of us being together always in a week or so-belonging! Wh

"Why, you old goos

d him: "N

d we'll have all our meals and everything in here.

which the sweetest women trudge

said; and again tre

ed the damp. "Well?" he a

a room here. We can't have

le. He broke out: "Wh

ght! Georgie, it w

ht! 'Pon my soul, Mary, I simply don't understa

to tell. "You don'

so exasperating after the-the devil of a day I've had. Just when I've fixed up

"Don't you see? we're engaged, dear; and being engag

e had had a devil of a day; a

're always thinking of people, you women

the instinctive reply in the instinctive sweet

his arms: "O

te himself; went to his Mary. "Mary, don't be suc

but she held her st

be right, Geo

t and hard, paying to his Mary no smallest attention, he made the arrangements. Miss Humfray would take on her bedroom again. By the week. If Mrs. Pinking wo

ood night; busied herse

reserve his stony bearing; denied his pretty

ight," he said to her. "I'll

ight," she whispered; strang

n the stairs before she could command he

o plunge into the river, he called back, "I? I

l door

oung man, who furiously had been pacing London, paced and repaced the street from end to end, gazing the windows of the house wh

er ending to