Page:While the Billy Boils, 1913.djvu/136

 hundred when I'd made up my mind; so, when he sees he can't persuade me he'll get a bit stiff and say:

"Well, but what about that there girl? Are you goin' to go away and leave her like that?"

'Why, what d'yer mean?' I'll say, 'Leave her like what?' I won't pretend to know what he's driving at.

"Oh!" he'll say, "You know very well what I mean. The question is: Are you going to marry the girl or not?"

'I'll see that things are gettin' a little warm and that I'm in a corner, so I'll say:

'Why, I never thought about it. This is pretty sudden and out of the common, isn't it? I don't mind marrying the girl if she'll have me. Why! I haven't asked her yet!'

"Well, look here," he'll say, "If you agree to marry the girl—and I'll make you marry her, any road—I'll give you that there farm over there and a couple of hundred to start on."

'So, I'll marry her and settle down and be a cocky myself; and if you ever happen to be knocking round there hard-up, you needn't go short of tucker a week or two; but don't come knocking round the house when I'm not at home.'