Evan made an appeal to his reason, but finding that impregnable, he pulled out his scanty purse to guarantee his sincerity with an offer of pledgemoney.  The waggoner waved it aside.  He wanted no money, he said.

‘Look heer,’ he went on; ’if you’re for a start, I tells ye plain, I chucks that ther’ young woman int’ the road.’

Evan bade him not to be a brute.

‘Nark and crop!’ the waggoner doggedly ejaculated.

Very much surprised that a fellow who appeared sound at heart, should threaten to behave so basely, Evan asked an explanation:  upon which the waggoner demanded to know what he had eyes for:  and as this query failed to enlighten the youth, he let him understand that he was a man of family experience, and that it was easy to tell at a glance that the complaint the young woman laboured under was one common to the daughters of Eve.  He added that, should an emergency arise, he, though a family man, would be useless:  that he always vacated the premises while those incidental scenes were being enacted at home; and that for him and George Stokes to be left alone with the young woman, why they would be of no more service to her than a couple of babies newborn themselves.  He, for his part, he assured Evan, should take to his heels, and relinquish waggon, and horses, and all; while George probably would stand and gape; and the end of it would be, they would all be had up for murder.  He diverged from the alarming prospect, by a renewal of the foregoing alternative to the gentleman who had constituted himself the young woman’s protector.  If he parted company with them, they would immediately part company with the young woman, whose condition was evident.

‘Why, couldn’t you tall that?’ said the waggoner, as Evan, tingling at the ears, remained silent.

‘I know nothing of such things,’ he answered, hastily, like one hurt.

I have to repeat the statement, that he was a youth, and a modest one.  He felt unaccountably, unreasonably, but horridly, ashamed.  The thought of his actual position swamped the sickening disgust at tailordom.  Worse, then, might happen to us in this extraordinary world!  There was something more abhorrent than sitting with one’s legs crossed, publicly stitching, and scoffed at!  He called vehemently to the waggoner to whip the horses, and hurry ahead into Fallowfield; but that worthy, whatever might be his dire alarms, had a regular pace, that was conscious of no spur:  the reply of ‘All right!’ satisfied him at least; and Evan’s chaste sighs for the appearance of an assistant petticoat round a turn of the road, were offered up duly, to the measure of the waggoner’s steps.

Suddenly the waggoner came to a halt, and said ’Blest if that Gearge bain’t a snorin’ on his pins!’

Evan lingered by him with some curiosity, while the waggoner thumped his thigh to, ‘Yes he be! no he bain’t!’ several times, in eager hesitation.