Page:Doctor Syn - A Smuggler Tale of the Romney Marsh.djvu/176

 all the mystery wot I'm a-gettin' at." The sexton smote his hand upon the table so that all the breakfast dishes jumped into different positions on the table, and the two words he said as his fist crashed down were these: "I couldn't!"

"Couldn't what?" asked Jerk, whose anxiety for the breakfast dishes' safety had driven the context of the sexton's speech from his mind.

"Couldn't live a humdrum life after the high jinks I had at sea."

"But you did, Mister Sexton, and, what's more, you're a-doin' it now," replied young Jerk with some show of sarcasm.

"And very prettily you can act, can't you, Hangman Jerk?" said Mr. Mipps, winking. "I declare you're a past-master in the way of pretendin'. Well, pretendin' all's very well, but it's often plain-spoken truth wot serves as a safer weapon for roguish fellows, and it's plain-spoken truth I'm a-goin' to use to you, believin' in my heart that if ever there was a roguish fellow livin', and one after my old heart, why, Hangman Jerk is that fellow."

"Please get on, Mister Sexton," said Jerry, feeling rather important.

"Yes, get on, get on," repeated Mrs. Waggetts, "for I'm a-longin' to hear how he takes it."

"Can you doubt? I don't," replied Mipps. "I bet my head he'll take it as a man, won't you, Jerry Jerk, eh?"