by W. W. Jacobs
bottle,and sat looking at Joe and thinking.
"Take this up to the Cauliflower," she ses, "make friends with BillJones, and give him as much beer as he'll drink, and give 'im a little o'this gin in each mug. If he drinks it the spell will be broken, andyou'll be luckier than you 'ave ever been in your life afore. When 'e'sdrunk some, and not before, leave the bottle standing on the table."
Joe Barlcomb thanked 'er, and with the bottle in 'is pocket went off tothe Cauliflower, whistling. Bill Jones was there, and Peter Lamb, andtwo or three more of 'em, and at fust they said some pretty 'ard thingsto him about being woke up in the night.
"Don't bear malice, Bill," ses Joe Barlcomb; "'ave a pint with me."
He ordered two pints, and then sat down along-side o' Bill, and in fiveminutes they was like brothers.
"'Ave a drop o' gin in it, Bill," he ses, taking the bottle out of 'ispocket.
Bill thanked 'im and had a drop, and then, thoughtful-like, he wanted Joeto 'ave some in his too, but Joe said no, he'd got a touch o' toothache,and it was bad for it.
"I don't mind 'aving a drop in my beer, Joe," ses Peter Lamb.
"Not to-night, mate," ses Joe; "it's all for Bill. I bought it onpurpose for 'im."
Bill shook 'ands with him, and when Joe called for another pint and putsome more gin in it he said that 'e was the noblest-'arted man that everlived.
"You wasn't saying so 'arf an hour ago," ses Peter Lamb.
"'Cos I didn't know 'im so well then," ses Bill Jones.
"You soon change your mind, don't you?" ses Peter.
Bill didn't answer 'im. He was leaning back on the bench and staring atthe bottle as if 'e couldn't believe his eyesight. His face was allwhite and shining, and 'is hair as wet as if it 'ad just been dipped in abucket o' water.
"See a ghost, Bill?" ses Peter, looking at 'im.
Bill made a 'orrible noise in his throat, and kept on staring at thebottle till they thought 'e'd gone crazy. Then Jasper Potts bent his'ead down and began to read out loud wot was on the bottle. "P-o-i--POISON FOR BILL JONES," he ses, in a voice as if 'e couldn't believe it.
You might 'ave heard a pin drop. Everybody turned and looked at BillJones, as he sat there trembling all over. Then those that could readtook up the bottle and read it out loud all over agin.
"Pore Bill," ses Peter Lamb. "I 'ad a feeling come over me thatsomething was wrong."
"You're a murderer," ses Sam Martin, catching 'old of Joe Barlcomb."You'll be 'ung for this. Look at pore Bill, cut off in 'is prime."
"Run for the doctor," ses someone.
Two of 'em ran off as 'ard as they could go, and then the landlord cameround the bar and asked Bill to go and die outside, because 'e didn'twant to be brought into it. Jasper Potts told 'im to clear off, and thenhe bent down and asked Bill where the pain was.
"I don't think he'll 'ave much pain," ses Peter Lamb, who alwayspretended to know a lot more than other people. "It'll soon be over,Bill."
"We've all got to go some day," ses Sam Martin. "Better to die youngthan live to be a trouble to yourself," ses Bob Harris.
To 'ear them talk everybody seemed to think that Bill Jones was in luck;everybody but Bill Jones 'imself, that is.
"I ain't fit to die," he ses, shivering. "You don't know 'ow bad I'vebeen."
"Wot 'ave you done, Bill?" ses Peter Lamb, in a soft voice. "If it'llease your feelings afore you go to make a clean breast of it, we're allfriends here."
Bill groaned.
"And it's too late for you to be punished for anything," ses Peter, artera moment.
Bill Jones groaned agin, and then, shaking 'is 'ead, began to w'isper 'iswrong-doings. When the doctor came in 'arf an hour arterward all the menwas as quiet as mice, and pore Bill was still w'ispering as 'ard as hecould w'isper.
The doctor pushed 'em out of the way in a moment, and then 'e bent overBill and felt 'is pulse and looked at 'is tongue. Then he listened tohis 'art, and in a puzzled way smelt at the bottle, which Jasper Pottswas a-minding of, and wetted 'is finger and tasted it.
"The doctor felt 'is pulse and looked at 'is tongue."]
"Somebody's been making a fool of you and me too," he ses, in a angryvoice. "It's only gin, and very good gin at that. Get up and go home."
It all came out next morning, and Joe Barlcomb was the laughing-stock ofthe place. Most people said that Mrs. Prince 'ad done quite right, andthey 'oped that it ud be a lesson to him, but nobody ever talked much ofwitchcraft in Claybury agin. One thing was that Bill Jones wouldn't 'avethe word used in 'is hearing.