Dry Fish and Wet Part 51

"Alive! The sight of you would have wakened me from the dead!"

"Eriksen, will you do me a favour?"

"Will I? Anything, Miss, anything a man can do."

"I want a thousand pounds."

Eriksen slid down from his stool.

"_A thousand--pounds!_ Heaven preserve us! A thousand! I haven't more than seven-and-six on me.

"But father has."

"The Admiral! Yes, of course, he has; and more. But that's not mine.

Da--" he checked himself, recollecting it was not the Admiral to whom he was speaking--"dear me, you wouldn't have me steal his money?"

"Oh, all you need do is to let me have the key."

"No, no, my dear young lady, no. It would never do.

"But it's only drawing a little in advance--on my inheritance, Eriksen, you know. That's all it is."

He stood reflecting quite a while.

"But--what on earth do you want all that money for?"

She took his hand, and he trembled with emotion.

"Eriksen, you're my friend, aren't you?"

"Heaven knows I am, Miss."

"Well, I'm going out into the wide world--to dance."

"But, heavens alive--that makes it worse than ever! The Admiral, he surely isn't going off dancing as well?"

"No; Missa's coming with me. We leave to-morrow, for Paris, Eriksen--London--New York--oh, ever so far!"

"But--but then, I shall never see you again."

"Indeed you shall, Eriksen; I'll send you tickets, a whole box all to yourself, for my performance in Paris. Just fancy, a box at the theatre all to yourself. And you must pay me a thousand pounds for it now."

"But the Admiral--the Admiral! I might just as well give myself up and go to jail."

"Don't talk nonsense, Eriksen! Are you my friend or are you not?"

The Princess got her thousand. And Eriksen duly entered in his cash book:

"By cash advanced to Miss Baby on account, as per receipt number 325, 1000."

And the Princess on her part solemnly signed for the money:

"Received cash in advance on account of expected inheritance, 1000--one thousand pounds."

Doffen spent the evening helping Missa and the Princess with their packing.

She promised to write and let him know how she got on, and gave him a photo of herself at parting, with the inscription: "To my true friend Doffen, from Baby."

Doffen kept it near his heart.

Missa gave him her photo too, but that he quietly put away in a back pocket.

Next morning he went down to the quay to see them off. The Princess stood at the stern of the ship, and waved to him. He was proud to think that he was the only one she waved to, he was the one to receive her farewell smile. And so the Princess set out into the wide world.

When the Admiral returned he found the following letter awaiting him:

"DEAR FATHER,--Missa and I have decided to go for a little trip to Paris, possibly also London, New York, San Francisco, etc. We couldn't stand it any longer, living in that old town of yours.

"I have drawn 1000 from Eriksen; I hope you won't mind. I don't think we could really manage with less.

"And, please, don't be nastier than usual to Eriksen about it. I made him do it.

"So long, then, for the present, and take care of yourself. You shall hear from us when we get there.--Your own

"BABY."

The Admiral grunted, got up and walked twice up and down the room; then, muttering to himself, "All right," he put the letter in the stove.

When the Admiral came down to the office, Doffen was inclined to be somewhat shaky about the knees. He pulled himself together, however, and, bearing in mind the example of Napoleon, took the offensive at once.

"Your daughter's gone away, Admiral!"

"Oh, go to----"

"Thanks. I don't think I will. I'm very comfortable where I am."

"You're a fool."

"There's bigger fools about."

"Why didn't you give her two thousand?"

"She'd have had five thousand."

"You've no idea what it costs to go travelling about. A miserable stay-at-home like you."