A dozen times over the words were on my lips, but I felt that it would seem as if I took advantage of my position, and were trying to blacken Mr Lister to gain her favour. More likely, I thought, it would make her bitter and angry against me, and, reflecting that she had determinedly insisted that he should wait six months for her answer, I remained silent. Miss Carr strove very hard to make me forget the unpleasantry of the early part of my visit, but she was at times very quiet and subdued, and I believe we both looked upon it as a relief when the time came for my departure. CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT. A WEDDING TRIP. "You're getting such a fine gent now. Ant'ny," said Revitts to me one morning; "but, if so be as you wouldn't mind, Mary and me's made up our minds to have a bit of a trip out, a kind of s'rimp tea, just by way of celebrating my being made sergeant, and getting well again." "Why, my dear old Bill," I cried, "why should I mind your having a trip? Where are you going?" "Well, you see, it's a toss up, Ant'ny; Gravesend's best for s'rimps, but Hampton Court's the nicer sorter place for a day, and Mary ain't never been." "Then go to Hampton Court," I said. "Hampton Court it is, Mary," he said. "That settles it." "And I hope you'll both enjoy yourselves." "What, won't you come?" said Revitts blankly. "Come! what--with you?" I said. "Why, of course, Ant'ny. You don't suppose we should care about going alone. Won't you come?" "You didn't ask me." "Oh, come now; that I did!" he exclaimed. "That you did not," I said stoutly. "Did he, Mary?" "He meant to, Master Antony," said Mary, looking up with a very red face, and one hand apparently in a grey boxing-glove, though it was only one of Revitts' worsted stockings, in need of another darn. "Well, I'll ask you now, then," exclaimed Revitts. "Will you come along with us?" "When?" "Sat'day next, being your half-holiday." "Yes," I said, "but I must write and tell Miss Carr I'm not coming till Sunday." "That's settled, then," said Revitts, holding out his big hand for me to shake; and I could not help noticing how thin and soft it was; but he was fast recovering his strength, and was again on duty. We walked down from Pentonville together, and as we went along, he introduced the subject of his accident for the first time for some weeks. "You wouldn't think as I'm a-trying hard to conjure out who it was fetched me that crack on the head, Antony?" "No," I said; "I thought you had forgotten all about it." "Not I," he said, shaking his head. "What, me, a sergeant, just promoted, and let a case like that go by without conjuring it out! Why, it couldn't be done! I should feel as if I was a disgrace to the force. That's speaking 'ficially," he said. "Now, speaking as a man, I've got this here to say, that I shan't rest comfortable till I've put something on that there fellows wrists." "And shall you know him again?" I asked.