'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

210

The Wrong Box