Part 40 (1/2)
”'Bout four, sir”
”Late as that? Come and have some dinner with me It's a horrible business about that poor midshi+pman”
”Ay, 'tis, sir Smart lad as ever I see”
”Where do you think he can be?”
”Carried out by the tide, I should say, sir”
”Oh! Horrible! Then you don't think the slers can have taken him prisoner?”
”Tchah! What could they do with prisoners, Master Aleck? May have given him a crack on the head and knocked hie, and nobody none the wiser”
”But lers' cave?”
”Well, he ht and they've took away theet in”
”Yes,” said Aleck, as they reached the garden and caught sight of the gardener watching the cavern somewhere”
”Very like, sir”
”You don't knohere it is?”
”Not me, sir”
”Don't look that way, but tell me what you think Isn't old Ness likely to know?”
”Very likely, sir; but if he did knoouldn't tell”
”Then you think he is ?”
”That's so, sir”
”Then I'll make him tell me,” said Aleck, between his teeth
”Do, sir, for I should like us to find the young gen'le an officer and ood friends with him, arn't yer?”
”Yes, of course,” said Aleck ”No, of course not,” he cried, angrily, for like a flash caardener had protested against being suspected of having any dealings with such outlawed men ”Oh, Tom, what an unlucky fellow I am!”
”Feel like that, sir?”
”Yes”
”That's because you wants yer dinner very bad, Master Aleck You get indoors and have your salt beef and biscuit, or whatever your Jane has stoay, and you'll feel like a noo man”