sweetheart what she wanted.

"I'd a sight sooner take 'ee Hannah--meanin' no offence to 'ee miss--but
if it can't be, why----"

"Of course it can't, you booby. You know that as well as I do."

"Aye. Some other time may be," rejoined Giles grinning afresh. "So 'ee
be a-goin' to see the great Mr. Pope? 'Ee'll have to cross by the ferry
and 'tis a bit of a walk there from Mortlake but I'll see 'ee safe."

"I should think you would or I'll never speak to you again."

Giles gave another of his grins and set to work arranging the baskets
in his cart so as to form a seat for Lavinia, and having helped the girl
to mount, bade Hannah adieu, a matter which took some few minutes and
was only terminated by a hearty kiss which Hannah received very
demurely. Then Giles after a crack of his whip started his horse, at the
head of which he marched, and with waving handkerchiefs by Hannah and
Lavinia the cart took the road to London Bridge.

The nearest way to Mortlake would have been the Middlesex side, crossing
the river at Hammersmith, but Hammersmith Bridge had not been thought of
and the cart had to plod through Lambeth, Vauxhall, Wandsworth, Putney
and Barnes.

At intervals Giles climbed into the cart and entertained Lavinia with
guileless talk, mainly relating to Hannah and her transcendent virtues.
Nor did he stop at Hannah herself but passed on to her relatives, her
mother who was dead and her grandmother who was ninety and "as hale an'