Not to speak to em, Miss, I hope? said Billy, with a look of affected modesty.
No, not to speak, replied Ruth, laughing, only to represent the boys of the fleet. But thats not the main thing I want you for. It is this, and remember, Billy, that I am now taking you into my confidence, so you must not tell what I shall speak to you about to any living soul.
Not even to mother? asked the boy.
No, not evenwell, you may tell it to your mother, for boys ought to have no secrets from their mothers; besides, your mother is a discreet woman, and lives a long way off from London. You must know, then, Billy, that I have two very dear friendstwo ladieswho are in deep poverty, and I want to give them money
Well, why dont you give it em, Miss? said Billy, seeing that Ruth hesitated. You must have lots of it to give away, he added, looking contemplatively round.
Yes, thank God, who gave it to me, I have, as you say, lots of it, but I cannot give it to the dear ladies I speak of becausebecause
Theyre too proud to take it, praps, suggested Billy.
No; they are not proudvery far from it; but they are sensitive.
Whats that, Miss?
Ruth was puzzled for a reply.
Itit means, she said, that they have delicate feelings, which cannot bear the idea of accepting money without working for it, when there are so many millions of poor people without money who cannot work for it. They once said to me, indeed, that if they were to accept money in charity they would feel as if they were robbing the really poor.
Why dont they work, then? asked Billy in some surprise. Why dont they go to sea as stooardesses or somethink o that sort?
Because they have never been trained to such work, or, indeed, to any particular work, returned Ruth; moreover, they are in rather delicate health, and are not young. Their father was rich, and meant to leave them plenty to live on, but he failed, and left them in broken health without a penny. Wasnt it sad?
Indeed it was, Miss, replied the boy, whose ready sympathy was easily enlisted.
Well, now, Billy, I want you to go to see these ladies. Tell them that you are a fisher-boy belonging to the North sea trawling fleet, and that you have called from a house which wants a job undertaken. You will then explain about the fishery, and how the wrists of the men are chafed, and break out into painful sores, and how worsted mitts serve the purpose at once of prevention and cure. Say that the house by which you have been sent has many hands at workand so I have, Billy, for many ladies send the cuffs and things made by them for the fleet to me to be forwarded, only they work gratuitously, and I want the work done by my two friends to be paid for, you understand? Tell them that still more hands are wanted, and ask them if they are open to an engagement. You must be very matter-of-fact, grave, and businesslike, you know. Ask them how many pairs they think they will be able to make in a week, and say that the price to be paid will be fixed on receipt of the first sample. But, remember, on no account are you to mention the name of the house that sent you; you will also leave with them this bag of worsted. Now, do you fully understand?
Billy replied by a decided wink, coupled with an intelligent nod.
After a good deal of further advice and explanation, Ruth gave Billy the name and address of her friends, and sent him forth on his mission.
Chapter Five.
How Billy Conducts the BusinessHow Captain Bream Overcomes the Sisters, and how Jessie Seaward Sees Mystery in Everything
I wonder, said Billy to himself on reaching the street as he looked down at the legs of his trousers, I wonder if theyre any shorter. Yes, they dont seem to be quite so far down on the shoes as when I left Yarmouth. I must have growd an inch or two since I came up to Lunon!
Under this gratifying impression the fisher-boy drew himself up to his full height, his little chest swelling with new sensations, and his whole body rolling along with a nautical swagger that drew on him the admiration of some, the contempt of others, and caused several street boys to ask if his mother knowed e was hout, and other insolent questions.
But Billy cared for none of these things. The provincial boy was quite equal to the occasion, though his return chaff smacked much of salt water.
Arrived at the poverty-stricken street in which the Misses Seaward dwelt, Billy mounted the narrow staircase and knocked at the door. It was opened by Liffie Lee, who had remained on that day to accomplish some extra work.
Is your missis at home, my dear?
There aint no missis here, an I aint your dear, was the prompt reply.
Billy was taken aback. He had not anticipated so ready and caustic a response, in one so small and child-like.
Come nowno offence meant, he said, but youre not a-goin to deny that the Miss Seawards does live here.
I aint a-goin to deny nothink, replied Liffie, a little softened by the boys apologetic tone, only when Im expected to give a civil answer, I expects a civil question.
Thats all fair an aboveboard. Now, will you tell the Miss Seawards I wants to see em, on a matter of businessof importance.
Another minute and Billy stood in the presence of the ladies he wished to see. Prepared beforehand to like them, his affections were at once fixed for ever by the first glimpse of their kindly faces.
With a matter-of-fact gravity, that greatly amused the sistersthough they carefully concealed their feelingslittle Billy stated his business, and, in so doing, threw his auditors into a flutter of hope and gratitude, surprise and perplexity.
But what is the name of the house that sends you? asked Miss Jessie.
That I am not allowed for to tell, said the boy-of-business, firmly.
A mercantile house in the city, I suppose, said Kate.
What sort o house it may be is more than a sea-farin man like me knows, an of course its in the city. You wouldnt expect a business-house to be in the country, would you? all I know is that they want mitts madehundreds of emno end o mittsan they haint got hands enough to make em, so they sent me to ask if youll undertake to help in the work, or if theyre to git some one else to do it. Now, will you, or will you not? thats the pint.
Of course we shall be only too happy, answered Jessie, though the application is strange. How did you come to know that we were in want ofthat is, who sent you to us?
The house sent me, as I said afore, Miss.
Yes, but how did the house come to know of our existence, and how is it that a house of any sort should send a sailor-boy as its messenger?
How the house came to know of you is more than I can say. They dont tell me all the outs-an-ins of their affairs, you know. As to a house sendin a sailor-boy as its messengerdid you ever hear of the great house of Messrs Hewett and Company, what supplies Billinsgate with fish?
Im not surewell, yes, I think I have heard of that house, said Kate, though we are not in the way of hearing much about the commercial houses of London.
Well, continued Billy, that house sends hundreds of fisher-boys as messengers. It sends em to the deep-sea with a message to the fish, an the message iscome out o the water you skulkin critters, an be sent up to Billinsgate to be sold an eaten! The fish dont come willinly, Im bound for to say that, but we make em come all the same, willin or not, for weve wonderful powers o persuasion. So you see, houses do send fisher-boys as messengers sometimes; now, what am I to say to the partikler house as sends me? will you go in for mitts? you may take comforters if you prefer it, or helmets.