She turned away, and, pink with annoyance, proceeded to arrange her hair in a small cracked glass that hung by the mantel-piece. “I ’ad a cousin once,” said Mr. Walters, thoughtfully, “that used to let her ’air down and sit on it. Tall gal, too, she was.” “So can I,” snapped Rosa, rolling the tress up on her finger, holding it in place, and transfixing it with a hair-pin. “_H’m_” said the boatswain. “What d’ye mean by ‘_H’m_’?” demanded Rosa, sharply. “Do you mean to say I can’t?” “You might if you cut it off first,” conceded Mr. Walters. “Cut it off?” said Rosa, scornfully. “Here! Look here!” She dragged out her hair-pins and with a toss of her head sent the coarse yellow locks flying. Then, straightening them slightly, she pulled out a chair and confronted him triumphantly. And at that moment the front-room bell rang. “That’s for you,” said Mr. Walters, pointedly. Rosa, who was already back at the glass, working with feverish haste, made no reply. The bell rang again, and a third time, Rosa finally answering it in a coiffure that looked like a hastily constructed bird’s nest. “There’s your letter,” she said, returning with a face still flushed. “Take it and go.” “Thankee,” said the boatswain. “Was they very frightened?” “Take it and go,” repeated Rosa, with cold dignity. “Your young woman might be expecting you; pity to keep her waiting.” “I ain’t got a young woman,” said Mr. Walters, slowly. “You surprise me!” said Rosa, with false astonishment. “I never would ’ave one,” said the boatswain, rising, and placing the letter in his breast-pocket. “I’ve got along all right for thirty years without ’em, and I ain’t going to begin now.” “You must have broke a lot of hearts with disappointment,” said Rosa. “I never could see anything in young wimmen,” said the boatswain, musingly. “Silly things, most of ’em. Always thinking about their looks; especially them as haven’t got none.” He took up the empty glass and toyed with it thoughtfully. “It’s no good waiting,” said Rosa; “you won’t get no more beer; not if you stay here all night.” “So long!” said the boatswain, still playing with the glass. “So long! I know one or two that’ll ’ave a fit pretty near when I tell ’em about you sitting on your ’air.” He put up his left arm instinctively, but Miss Jelks by a supreme effort maintained her calmness. Her eyes and colour were beyond her control, but her voice remained steady. “So long!” she said, quietly. She took the glass from him and smiled. “If you like to wait a moment, I’ll get you a little drop more,” she said, graciously. “Here’s luck!” said Mr. Walters, as she returned with the glass. He drank it slowly and then, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, stood regarding her critically. “Well, so long!” he said again, and, before the astonished maiden could resist, placed a huge arm about her neck and kissed her. “You do that again, if you dare!” she gasped, indignantly, as she broke loose and confronted him. “The idea!”