“I understand, sir—I understand. These little defficulties startles gintlemen at first—you've not been used to arrest, I see, sir?”
“Never in my life did such a thing happen before,” said Tom. “I live generally, thank God, where a bailiff daren't show his face.”
“Ah, sir,” said the bailiff with a grin, “them rustic habits betrays the children o' nature often when they come to town; but we are so fisticated here in the metropolis, that we lay our hands on strangers aisy. But you'd better not stand in the street, sir, or people will understand it's an arrest, sir; and I suppose you wouldn't like the exposure. I can simperise in a gintle-man's feelings, sir. If you walk aisy on, sir, and don't attempt to escape or rescue, I'll keep a gentlemanlike distance.”
Tom walked on in great perplexity for a few steps, not knowing what to do. The hour of his rendezvous had struck; he knew how impatient of neglect the widow always was; he at one moment thought of asking the bailiff to allow him to proceed to her lodgings at once, there boldly to avow what had taken place and ask her to discharge the debt; but this his pride would not allow him to do. As he came to the corner of a street, he got a tap on the elbow from the bailiff, who, with a jerking motion of his thumb and a wink, said in a confidential tone to Tom, “Down this street, sir—that's the way to the pres'n (prison).”
“Prison!” exclaimed Tom, halting involuntarily at the word.
“Shove on, sir—shove on!” hastily repeated the sheriff's officer, urging his orders by a nudge or two on Tom's elbow.
“Don't shove me, sir!” said Tom, rather angrily, “or by G—”
“Aisy, sir—aisy!” said the bailiff; “though I feel for the defficulties of a gintleman, the caption must be made, sir. If you don't like the pris'n, I have a nice little room o' my own, sir, where you can wait, for a small consideration, until you get bail.”
“I'll go there, then,” said Tom. “Go through as private streets as you can.”
“Give me half-a-guinea for my trouble, sir, and I'll ambulate you through lanes every fut o' the way.”