I shut the wicket arter 'im, quick, and turned the
key, and then I went on with my work. For a long time everything was as
quiet as the grave, and then there came just one little pull at the bell.
Five minutes arterwards there was another.
I thought it was that woman, but I 'ad to make sure. When it came the
third time I crept up to the gate.
"Halloa!" I ses. "Who is it?"
"Me, darling," ses a voice I reckernized as the potman's. "Your missus
wants to come in and sit down."
I could 'ear several people talking, and it seemed to me there was quite
a crowd out there, and by and by that bell was going like mad. Then
people started kicking the gate, and shouting, but I took no notice
until, presently, it left off all of a sudden, and I 'eard a loud voice
asking what it was all about. I suppose there was about fifty of 'em all
telling it at once, and then there was the sound of a fist on the gate.
"Who is it?" I ses.
"Police," ses the voice.
I opened the wicket then and looked out. A couple o' policemen was
standing by the gate and arf the riff-raff of Wapping behind 'em.
"Wot's all this about?" ses one o' the policemen.
I shook my 'ead. "Ask me another," I ses. "Your missus is causing a
disturbance," he ses.
"She's not my missus," I ses; "she's a complete stranger to me."
"And causing a crowd to collect and refusing to go away," ses the other
policeman.
"That's your business," I ses. "It's nothing to do with me.
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