"`Oh, ho!' says I, `are you on that tack? what next?' and then I looked more at the chap, and he was a very nice young man, as the saying is. As I afterwards found out, he was in the smuggling line between Cherbourg and our coast, and he had Frenchified manners, and he talked little bits of French, and he had French gloves for presents, and had ear-rings in his ears, and lots of rings on his fingers. So I took my seat at the wooden benches near the fire, just as sulky as a bear with a sore head, watching their manoeuvres: at last he walked out, kissing his hand as she smiles. As the coast was clear I went up to the bar. "`Well,' says I, `Peggy, so the wind's shifted, is it?' "`What do you mean?' says she. `I suppose I may be civil to another person as well as to you.' "`Yes, I see no objection,' says I; `but why was he to be inside the bar, and I put out?' "`Oh,' replied she, `one at a time, you know, Mr Philip. I haven't made any promises to you that I know of.' "`That's very true,' replied I, `but--' "`Oh, you mustn't fret here,' interrupted she. `I'm my own mistress, I suppose. However, I'll tell you this much, that I don't care a bit about him, and that's the truth of it--but I did not like your coming inside the bar so quietly, as if you had a right there, for I don't want people to make remarks.' "Well, the end of it was that she pacified me, and we were as great friends almost as ever: I say almost, for I had my eyes upon her and that chap, and did not much like it. A week after my arrival there was to be a fair over at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, and I asked Peggy whether she would go with me; but she refused, saying that she was obliged to go to her aunt's out at Limberhook, who was very old, and had sent for her, so I thought nothing more about the matter. Well, the day before the fair, as we were busy in the forenoon getting the timber out of the vessel, one of my shipmates, who went to the same house, says to me, `I say, Tom, when I was at the Chequers last night, I overheard Peggy promise to go to the Ryde Fair with that Frenchified smuggling chap.' "`Did you?' said I. "`Yes,' replied he, `and they agreed to start at twelve o'clock, just after the dockyard bell rang: I thought at the time it was just to give you the slip before you left the ship, and that she is turning you over.'