Mr. Dunkin’s notice to quit arrived early the next morning.  The service of that notice was a duty he owed to society, morality, conscience, virtue, propriety, religion, and several other things, which he enumerated without hesitation.  He could not have sat in his pew the next day with any comfort, knowing that such a duty remained unperformed; he would have felt a hypocrite.

The notice might have come before, for the trade had been good and steady; but Mr. Dunkin also had heard the whispers that the ship-yard might be shut, and he had hesitated long.  Now, however, there was no alternative—if Mrs. May were left to flaunt her infamy the trade must decline under the scandal, and the place fall worthless again.  More, her expulsion at this time would seem less a seizure of the new branch than a popular vindication of righteousness.

Johnny was at home when the notice came.  He had sent a message to Mr. Cottam, pleading urgent family affairs.

“Might have expected it,” Johnny said, giving the p. 264paper to Hicks, whom he had called into counsel.  “Anyway mother swears she can’t show her face in the shop again.  She seems almost afraid to come out of her bedroom, talks wild about disgracing her children, an’ wishes she was dead.  She’s pretty bad, an’ as to the shop—that’s done up.  Question is what to do now.”

Then Hicks rose to his feet, and met the occasion face to face.  “We’ll do this thing between us,” he said, “and damn everybody!  I ain’t a man o’ business, not special, but I got you all into this ’ere mess an’ I’ll see you out of it, or I’ll bust.  Fust thing, this ’ere Mr. Dunkin’s game’s plain enough.  ’Ere’s a very decent business goin’ on, an’ ’e takes this excuse to collar it ’isself.  You ain’t took the shutters down yet, an’ we won’t take ’em down.  We’ll stick up a big bill ‘Business come to a end,’ or such other words, an’ let the customers go where they like an’ ’ope they won’t come back.  Then p’raps ’e’ll come along in a day or two an’ offer to buy the stock, thinkin’ ’e’ll get it for next to nothin’, you bein’ all at sixes an’ sevens.  We won’t sell it—not one farden candle.  But we won’t say so.  No.  We’ll fight cokum.  We’ll ask ’im to think over it for another day or two an’ see if ’e can’t make it a quid or two more.  ’E’ll let it slide all the week if we do it right, expectin’ to land us at the last minute an’ make us take anythink.  But we’ll just be walkin’ the stuff all away very quiet in the evenin’s, in a barrer, an’ then ’e’ll come into a empty p. 265shop unexpected, an’ ’e won’t know what the customers is used to, an’ that’ll give ’im fits for another week or two.  See?”

“But where shall we take the stuff?”

“Take it?  Lord, anywhere!” replied Hicks, with a sweep of the hand.  “There’s plenty o’ empty shops ready to be took everywhere.  Why the number I’ve seen these two or three days ’ud surprise ye!  Some ain’t as good as others p’raps, but that we’ll settle in the week.&nbs............