‘Don’t be rash, Gid,’ cried his uncle.

The barrister drew near to the sound, which was certainly of a portentous character.  In quality it appeared to blend the strains of the cow, the fog-horn, and the mosquito; and the startling manner of its enunciation added incalculably to its terrors.  A dark object, not unlike the human form divine, appeared on the brink of the ditch.

‘It’s a man,’ said Gideon, ’it’s only a man; he seems to be asleep and snoring.  Hullo,’ he added, a moment after, ’there must be something wrong with him, he won’t waken.’

Gideon produced his vestas, struck one, and by its light recognized the tow head of Harker.

‘This is the man,’ said he, ‘as drunk as Belial.  I see the whole story’; and to his two companions, who had now ventured to rejoin him, he set forth a theory of the divorce between the carrier and his cart, which was not unlike the truth.

‘Drunken brute!’ said Uncle Ned, ’let’s get him to a pump and give him what he deserves.’

‘Not at all!’ said Gideon.  ’It is highly undesirable he should see us together; and really, do you know, I am very much obliged to him, for this is about the luckiest thing that could have possibly occurred.  It seems to me—­Uncle Ned, I declare to heaven it seems to me—­I’m clear of it!’

‘Clear of what?’ asked the Squirradical.

‘The whole affair!’ cried Gideon.  ’That man has been ass enough to steal the cart and the dead body; what he hopes to do with it I neither know nor care.  My hands are free, Jimson ceases; down with Jimson.  Shake hands with me, Uncle Ned—­Julia, darling girl, Julia, I—­’

‘Gideon, Gideon!’ said his uncle.  ’O, it’s all right, uncle, when we’re going to be married so soon,’ said Gideon.  ’You know you said so yourself in the houseboat.’

‘Did I?’ said Uncle Ned; ‘I am certain I said no such thing.’

‘Appeal to him, tell him he did, get on his soft side,’ cried Gideon.  ‘He’s a real brick if you get on his soft side.’

‘Dear Mr Bloomfield,’ said Julia, ’I know Gideon will be such a very good boy, and he has promised me to do such a lot of law, and I will see that he does too.  And you know it is so very steadying to young men, everybody admits that; though, of course, I know I have no money, Mr Bloomfield,’ she added.

’My dear young lady, as this rapscallion told you today on the boat, Uncle Ned has plenty,’ said the Squirradical, ’and I can never forget that you have been shamefully defrauded.  So as there’s nobody looking, you had better give your Uncle Ned a kiss.  There, you rogue,’ resumed Mr Bloomfield, when the ceremony had been daintily performed, ’this very pretty young lady is yours, and a vast deal more than you deserve.  But now, let us get back to the houseboat, get up steam on the launch, and away back to town.’

‘That’s the thing!’ cried Gideon; ’and tomorrow there will be no houseboat, and no Jimson, and no carrier’s cart, and no piano; and when Harker awakes on the ditchside, he may tell himself the whole affair has been a dream.’