“Everybody ’eld their breaths that evening in the school room when Mrs. Pawlett got up on the platform and took a slip of paper from one of the judges. She stood a moment waiting for silence, and then ’eld up her ’and to stop what she thought was clapping at the back, but which was two or three wimmen who ’ad ’ad to take their crying babies out trying to quiet ’em in the porch. Then Mrs. Pawlett put ’er glasses on her nose and just read out, short and sweet, that the prize of three sovereigns and a metal teapot for the best-kept cottage garden ’ad been won by Mr. Robert Pretty. “One or two people patted Bob on the back as ’e walked up the middle to take the prize; then one or two more did, and Bill Chambers’s pat was the ’eartiest of ’em all. Bob stopped and spoke to ’im about it. “You would ’ardly think that Bob ’ud have the cheek to stand up there and make a speech, but ’e did. He said it gave ’im great pleasure to take the teapot and the money, and the more pleasure because ’e felt that ’e had earned ’em. He said that if ’e told ’em all ’e’d done to make sure o’ the prize they’d be surprised. He said that ’e’d been like Ralph Thomson’s pig, up early and late. “He stood up there talking as though ’e was never going to leave off, and said that ’e hoped as ’is example would be of benefit to ’is neighbours. Some of ’em seemed to think that digging was everything, but ’e could say with pride that ’e ’adn’t put a spade to ’is garden for three years until a week ago, and then not much. “He finished ’is remarks by saying that ’e was going to give a tea-party up at the Cauliflower to christen the teapot, where ’e’d be pleased to welcome all friends. Quite a crowd got up and followed ’im out then, instead o’ waiting for the dissolving views, and came back ’arf an hour arterwards, saying that until they’d got as far as the Cauliflower they’d no idea as Bob was so pertickler who ’e mixed with. “That was the last Flower Show we ever ’ad in Claybury, Mrs. Pawlett and the judges meeting the tea-party coming ’ome, and ’aving to get over a gate into a field to let it pass. What with that and Mrs. Pawlett tumbling over something further up the road, which turned out to be the teapot, smelling strong of beer, the Flower Show was given up, and the parson preached three Sundays running on the sin of beer-drinking to children who’d never ’ad any and wimmen who couldn’t get it.” PRIVATE CLOTHES At half-past nine the crew of the _Merman_ were buried in slumber, at nine thirty-two three of the members were awake with heads protruding out of their bunks, trying to peer through the gloom, while the fourth dreamt that a tea-tray was falling down a never-ending staircase. On the floor of the forecastle something was cursing prettily and rubbing itself. “Did you ’ear anything, Ted?” inquired a voice in an interval of silence. “Who is it?” demanded Ted, ignoring the question. “Wot d’yer want?”