But again her hand implored. "You're going to give us up to the police for twenty pounds?" she said, reproachfully. He groaned. "'Ow yer do talk!" he said. "Women is all alike when it comes to talking. Stop talking and listen to me. Can't yer understand plain words? What yer got to do is to leave the boat at Mutton Worry Lock--that's three locks up--bunk across the fields to Tunbridge. If yer got money enough--and I'm sartain yer 'as, by the looks of yer--yer 'ire one of them motors and get away as fast as yer can. Get one at the Castle. Say yer going to Brighton, and when yer get away from the town tell the chap to drive t'other way." "That's a good plan," said she. "I mapped it all out as I come along," he said, with simple pride. "And, mind yer, I'm trusting yer like I shouldn't have thought I'd 'a' trusted nobody. 'Ave yer got the twenty pounds about yer?" he asked, anxiously. "No," said she. "Can't be helped, then." He breathed a sigh of resignation. "I'll just give yer my direction and yer send the ready to me. 'Oo says I don't trust yer?" "You mean," said Edward, slowly, and would not be checked any longer by that hand on his arm--"you mean that you expect us to give you twenty pounds not to give us up to the police? The police have nothing to do with us. The whole thing's moonshine. Take your hand off the boat and get along home." "Any man," said he who had been called Neptune--"any man as had the feelings of a man would think of this--young lady. Even if yer was to prove to Poad as yer wasn't wanted for nothin' criminal--it's none so easy to make Poad see anything, neither"--he ended, abruptly, and began anew. "Look 'ere, gov'ner, on account of your lady I say do a bolt. An' why should I be the loser? I only got to stick to the boat, whichever way yer go--up and down--and soon as yer land where there's a copper, lagged yer'll be to a dead cart, and only yourself to thank for it. Whereas I'm only trying to be your friend, if you'd only see it." "I don't see why you should be so friendly," said Edward, now entirely losing control of the situation. "Nor I shouldn't see it, neither, if it was only you," was the rejoinder. "He's quite right," she whispered. "Promise what he wants and let's get away. I know exactly what Poad is like. We should never make him understand anything. I couldn't bear it. Let's go. If you've got twenty pounds, give it to him and let's go." "Think of your young lady," repeated the voice out of the darkness. "If yer promise to let me 'ear by the post, I'll take your word for it. I'm your true friend, and I knows a gentleman when I sees one." "If you were a true friend," said Edward, "you wouldn't want paying for minding your own business." "Aw, naw," he said, "'old 'ard, gov'ner. Ain't it a man's own business when there's twenty pounds to be made? Says I to myself, if it's worth some one's while to pay the money to catch 'er, it's well worth the gentleman's while to shell out and keep 'er, and. . . ."