The Understudy Read online

themselvesin bed, looked at the dog, wot was sitting on its tail, with its 'eadback, moaning fit to break its 'art.

  "Wot's the matter?" ses old Sam, in a shaky voice. "Stop it! Stop it,d'ye hear!"

  "P'r'aps it's dying," ses Ginger, as the dog let off a 'owl like asteamer coming up the river. "Stop it, you brute!"

  "He'll wake the 'ouse up in a minute," ses Peter. "Take 'im downstairsand kick 'im into the street, Sam."

  "Take 'im yourself," ses Sam. "Hsh! Somebody's coming upstairs. Poorold doggie. Come along, then. Come along."

  The dog left off his 'owling, and went over and licked 'im just as thelandlady and one or two more came to the door and called out to know wotthey meant by it.

  "It's all right, missis," ses Sam. "It's on'y pore Ginger. You keepquiet," he ses in a whisper, turning to Ginger.

  "Wot's he making that row about?" ses the landlady. "He made my bloodrun cold."

  "He's got a touch o' toothache," ses Sam. "Never mind, Ginger," 'e sesin a hurry, as the dog let off another 'owl; "try and bear it."

  "He's a coward, that's wot 'e is," ses the landlady, very fierce. "Why,a child o' five wouldn't make such a fuss."

  "Sounds more like a dog than a 'uman being," ses another voice. "Youcome outside, Ginger, and I'll give you something to cry for."

  They waited a minute or two, and then, everything being quiet, they wentback to bed, while old Sam talked to Ginger about wot 'e called 'is"presence o' mind," and Ginger talked to 'im about wot he'd do to 'im if'e wasn't a fat old man with one foot in the grave.

  They was all in a better temper when they woke up in the morning, andwhile Sam was washing they talked about wot they was to do with the dog.

  "We can't lead 'im about all day," ses Ginger; "and if we let 'im offthe string he'll go off 'ome."

  "He don't know where his 'ome is," ses Sam, very severe; "but he mightrun away, and then the pore thing might be starved or else ill-treated.I 'ave 'eard o' boys tying tin cans to their tails."

  "I've done it myself," ses Ginger, nodding. "Consequently it's ourdooty to look arter 'im," ses Sam.

  "I'll go down to the front door," ses Peter, "and when I whistle, bringhim down."

  Ginger stuck his 'ead out o' the window, and by and by, when Peterwhistled, him and Sam took the dog downstairs and out into the street.

  "So far so good," ses Sam; "now, wot about brekfuss?"

  They 'ad their brekfuss in their usual coffeeshop, and the dog took bitsfrom all of them. Unfortunately, 'e wasn't used to haddick bones, andarter two of the customers 'ad gorn out and two more 'ad complained tothe landlord, they 'ad to leave their brekfusses and take 'im outsidefor a breath o' fresh air.

  "Now, wot are we going to do?" ses Ginger. "I'm beginning to be sickof the sight of 'im. 'Ave we got to lead 'im about all day on a bit o'string?"

  "Let's take 'im round the corner and lose 'im," ses Peter Russet.

  "You give me 'old o' that string," ses Sam. "If you don't want shares,that's all right. If I'm going to look arter 'im I'll 'ave it all."

  That made Ginger and Peter look at each other. Direckly Sam began totalk about money they began to think they might be losing something.

  "And wot about 'aving 'im in our bedroom and keeping us awake allnight?" ses Peter.

  "And putting it on to me with the toothache," ses Ginger. "No; you canlook arter 'im, Sam, while me and Peter goes off and enjoys ourselves;and if you get anything we go shares, mind."

  "All right," ses Sam, turning away with the dog.

  "And suppose Sam gets a reward or sells it, and then tells us that itran away and 'e lost it?" ses Peter.

  "O' course; I never thought o' that," ses Ginger. "You've got your 'eadon straight, Peter."

  "I see 'im smile, that's why," ses Peter Russet.

  "You're a liar," ses Sam.

  "We'll stick together," ses Ginger. "Leastways, one of us'll keep withyou, Sam."

  They settled it that way at last, and while Ginger went for a walk downround about where they 'ad found the dog, Sam Small and Peter waited forhim in a little public-'ouse down Limehouse way. Their idea was thatthere would be bills up, and when Ginger came back and said therewasn't, they 'ad a lot to say about people wot wasn't fit to 'ave dogsbecause they didn't love 'em.

  They 'ad a miserable day. When the dog got sick o' sitting in a pub 'emade such a noise they 'ad to take 'im out; and when 'e got tired o'walking about he sat down on the pavement and they 'ad to drag 'im alongto the nearest pub agin. At five o'clock in the arternoon Ginger Dickwas talking about two-penn'orth o' rat-poison.

  "Wot are we to do with 'im till twelve o'clock to-night?" ses Peter.

  "And s'pose we can't smuggle 'im into the 'ouse agin?" ses Ginger. "Orsuppose he makes that noise agin in the night?"

  They 'ad a pint each to 'elp them to think wot was to be done. And,arter a lot o' talking and quarrelling, they did wot a lot of otherpeople 'ave done when they got into trouble: they came to me.

  I 'ad on'y been on dooty about arf an hour when the three of 'em turnedup at the wharf with the dog, and, arter saying 'ow well I looked andthat I seemed to get younger every time they saw me, they asked me totake charge of the dog for 'em.

  "It'll be company for you," ses old Sam. "It must be very lonely 'ereof a night. I've often thought of it."

  "And of a day-time you could take it 'ome and tie it up in your back-yard," ses Ginger.

  I wouldn't 'ave anything to do with it at fust, but at last I gave way.They offered me fourpence a day for its keep, and, as I didn't want torun any risk, I made 'em give me a couple o' bob to go on with.

  They went off as though they'd left a load o' care be'ind 'em, and artertying the dog up to a crane I went on with my work. They 'adn't told mewot the game was, but, from one or two things they'd let drop, I'd got apretty good idea.

  The dog 'owled a bit at fust, but he quieted down arter a bit. He was anice-looking animal, but one dog is much the same as another to me, andif I 'ad one ten years I don't suppose I could pick it out from two orthree others.

  I took it off 'ome with me when I left at six o'clock next morning, andtied it up in my yard. My missis 'ad words about it, o' course--that'swot people get married for--but when she found it woke me up three timesshe quieted down and said wot a nice coat it 'ad got.

  The three of 'em came round next evening to see it, and they was soafraid of its being lost that when they stood me a pint at the Bull'sHead we 'ad to take it with us. Ginger was going to buy a sausage-rollfor it, but, arter Sam 'ad pointed out that they was paying me fourpencea day for its keep, he didn't. And Sam 'ad the cheek to tell me that itliked a nice bit o' fried steak as well as anything.

  A lot o' people admired that dog. I remember, on the fourth night Ithink it was, the barge Dauntless came alongside, and arter she was madefast the skipper came ashore and took a little notice of it.

  "Where did you get 'im?" he ses.

  I told 'im 'ow it was, and he stood there for some time patting the dogon the 'ead and whistling under 'is breath.

  "It's much the same size as my dog," he ses; "that's a black retriever,too."

  I ses "Oh!"

  "I'm afraid I shall 'ave to get rid of it," he ses. "It's on the bargenow. My missis won't 'ave it in the 'ouse any more cos it bit the baby.And o' course it was no good p'inting out to 'er that it was its firstbite. Even the law allows one bite, but it's no good talking about thelaw to wimmen."

  "Except when it's on their side," I ses.

  He patted the dog's 'ead agin and whistled, and a big black dog came upout of the cabin and sprang ashore. It went up and put its nose toSam's dog, and they both growled like thunderstorms.

  "Might be brothers," ses the skipper, "on'y your dog's got a better'eead and a better coat. It's a