Grootz compressed his lips. "Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué," he said sententiously. *CHAPTER XXVI* *The New Squire* Jonahs—Step-brothers—Whose Gain?—The Female Line—The End of the Story—Treason—The Fleet—In Italy with Eugene—Home—Adèle Studies Geography—Lady Bountiful—Minshull Remembers—A Warning from Mr. Tape—Mr. Tape at Hungerford—Exit Harry Rochester—At the Gate—A Royal Feast—What’s in a Name?—A Rustic Moralist—Wedding Bells Giles Appleyard, giving a flick to the off leader, scraped his well-rasped chin over the stiff collar of his coat and addressed the outside passenger who had just mounted his coach at Basingstoke. "Why, Willum Nokes," he said, "’tis many a long day since I set eyes on your noble frame. How’s the wicked world sarven ’ee, Willum?" "Fairish, Giles coachman, on’y fairish. A’ve never bin the same man since that tarrible day when John Simmons gi’ me the go-by. Ay, I were constable then, a-sarven the Queen and Sir Godfrey, and wi’ the bodies of all the souls in Winton Simmary under me. Now I be on’y parish beadle at Basingstoke, sarvant to pa’son, and rulen over none but the misbehaven childer in church." He sighed and shook his head. "Ay, and th’ on’y thing as keeps me above ground is a journey once a year to th’ old place, where I wanders round a-thinken deep things o’ the noble line o’ life as used to be." "Ay, poor soul, ’ee did truly make a gashly fool o’ yerself that day, Willum. Well, better a live fool than a dead ’oss, as you med say." "An’ yerself, Giles—you looks hale an’ hearty as ever I seed ’ee." "Ay, Willum, I goos up an’ down the world rain or shine, merry as a grig." "’Ee must see a powerful deal o’ life, Giles; all sarts an’ perditions o’ men, as pa’son sings in church. Who med be your insides to-day, if I med axe so homely a quest’on?" "Only two to-day, Willum. There be little travellen for a week or two arter Christmas. One on ’em be a Dutch skipper; I mind I carried un once afore; ay, ’twas the same day as young pa’son Rochester and Sherry Minshull rode a-top, all agwine to Lun’on. Young pa’son be now a sojer, so ’tis said, an’ hob-a-nob wi’ the mighty o’ the earth. The way o’ the world, Willum; some goos up, like young pa’son; some goos down, like Willum Nokes; some goos steady, like Giles Appleyard; eh, soul?" "Ay, ’tis constables goos down, a’ b’lieve. But who be your other inside, coachman?" "Why, no one an’t telled me, but I’d take my affidavy afore any justice o’ peace ’tis a limb o’ the law. I knows they sart. They ought to pay double; for why? ’cause bean’t safe to carry; last time I carried a lawyer fore off wheel broke as we trundled through Winterslow. When I seed this chap at Angel and Crown this marnen, says I to myself, ’Zooks!’ says I, ’what poor mortal soul be agwine to suffer now?’"