“It ain’t right,” said Mrs. Tipping, breaking in, “that you should marry a man you don’t know anything about; that’s what I mean. That’s only reasonable, I think.”
“It’s quite fair,” said Flower, trying hard to speak reluctantly. “Of course, if Matilda wishes, I’m quite prepared to go away now. I don’t wish her to tie herself up to a man who at present, at any rate, has to go about wrapped in a mystery.”
“All the same,” said Mrs. Tipping, with a gleam in her eyes, “I’m not going to have anybody playing fast and loose with my daughter. She’s got your ring on her finger. You’re engaged to be married to her, and you mustn’t break it off by running away or anything of that kind. If she likes to break it off, that’s a different matter.”
“I’m not going to break it off,” said Miss Tipping, fiercely; “I’ve made all the arrangements in my own mind. We shall get married as soon as we can, and I shall put Dick in here as manager, and take a nice little inn down in the country somewhere.”
“Mark my words,” said Mrs. Tipping, solemnly, “you’ll lose him again.”
“If I lose him again,” said Miss Tipping, dramatically, “if he’s spirited away by these people, or anything happens to him, Dick won’t be manager here. Uncle Porson will have as much drink and as many cigars as he pays for, and Charlie will find another berth.”
“Nobody shall hurt a hair of his head,” said Mr. Tipping, with inimitable pathos.
“He must be protected against hisself,” said Mr. Porson, spitefully; “that’s the ’ardest part. He’s a man what if ’e thinks it’s his dooty ’ll go away just as ’e did before.”
“Well if he gets away from Charlie,” said Mr. Tipping, “he’ll be cute. There’s one thing, Mr. Robinson: if you try to get away from those who love you and are looking after you, there’ll be a fight first, then there’ll be a police court fuss, and then we shall find out what the Government mean by it.”
Captain Flower sat down in an easy posture as though he intended a long stay, and in a voice broken with emotion murmured something about home, and rest, and freedom from danger.