died."

She went off to serve a customer at the other end of the bar wot was
making little dents in it with his pot, and the man came back and sat
down by Sam agin, and began to talk about horse-racing. At least, he
tried to, but Sam couldn't talk of nothing but that locket, and wot a
nice steady sailorman could do with thirty pounds.

"Well, p'r'aps you'll find it," ses the man, chaffing-like. "'Ave
another pint."

Sam had one, but it only made 'im more solemn, and he got in quite a
temper as 'e spoke about casuals loafing about on Tower Hill with their
'ands in their pockets, and taking gold lockets out of the mouths of
hard-working sailormen.

"It mightn't be found yet," ses the man, speaking thoughtful-like. "It's
wonderful how long a thing'll lay sometimes. Wot about going and 'aving
a look for it?"

Sam shook his 'ead at fust, but arter turning the thing over in his mind,
and 'aving another look at the bill, and copying down the name and
address for luck, 'e said p'r'aps they might as well walk that way as
anywhere else.

"Something seems to tell me we've got a chance," ses the man, as they
stepped outside.


"It's a funny feeling and I can't explain it, but it always means good
luck. Last time I had it an aunt o' mine swallered 'er false teeth and
left me five 'undred pounds."

"There's aunts and aunts," ses Sam, grunting. "I 'ad one once, but if
she had swallered 'er teeth she'd ha' been round to me to help 'er buy
some new ones. That's the sort she was."

"Mind!" ses the man, patting 'im on the shoulder, "if we do find this, I
don't want any of it. I've got all I want. It's all for you."

They went on like a couple o' brothers arter that, especially Sam, and
when they got to the Mint they walked along slow down Tower Hill looking
for the locket. It was awkward work, because, if people saw them looking
about, they'd 'ave started looking too, and twice Sam nearly fell over
owing to walking like a man with a stiff neck and squinting down both
sides of h

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.