"Why, so have you, Jack," I exclaimed, shaking hands with him; and then with the lady, for he joined our hands together, taking up hers and placing it in mine, as if he were performing a marriage ceremony. "Well, I s'pose I have," he said in his slow, cumbersome way. "This here's my missus. We was only married larst week. This here's our boat. She was born aboard one on 'em." "I'm glad to see you again, Jack," I said, as the recollection of our journey up recurred to me, strengthened by our meeting. "So am I," he growled. "Lor'! I do wish my old man was here, too: he often talked about you." "About me, Jack?" "Ah! 'member that pot o' beer you stood for him when you was going away--uppards--you know?" "Yes; I remember." "So do he. He says it was the sweetest drop he ever had in his life; and he never goes by that 'ere house without drinking your health." "Jack often talks about you," said "my missus." "I should think I do!" growled Jack. "I say, missus, what's in the pot?" "Biled rabbit, inguns, and bit o' bacon," was the prompt reply. "Stop an' have a bit o' dinner with us, then. I've got plenty o' beer." I was about to say no, as I glanced at Tom; but his eyes were full of glee, and he kept nodding his head, so I said _yes_. The result was that the barge was taken through the lock, and half-a-mile lower down drawn close in beneath some shady trees, where we partook of Jack's hospitality--his merry-hearted, girlish wife, when she was not staring at us, striving hard to make the dinner prepared for two enough for four. I dare say it was very plebeian taste, but Tom and I declared honestly that we thoroughly enjoyed the dinner partaken of under the trees upon the grass; and I said I never knew how good Dutch cheese and new crusty country loaf, washed down by beer from a stone bottle, were before. We parted soon after, Jack and I exchanging rings; for when I gave him a plain gold gipsy ring for his handkerchief, he insisted upon my taking the home-made silver one he wore; while his wife was made happy with a gaily coloured silk handkerchief which I used to wear at night. The last I saw of them was Jack standing up waving his red cap over his head, and "my missus" the gaily coloured handkerchief. After that they passed on down stream, and Tom and I went our way. I could not have been a very good walker in my early days, for my companion and I soon got over the ground between the river and Rowford, even though I stopped again and again--to show where I had had my fight; where I had hidden from Blakeford when the pony-chaise went by; and, as if it had never been moved, there by the road was a heap of stones where I had slept and had my bundle stolen. It was one bright summer's evening that we entered Rowford, which seemed to have shrunk and its houses to have grown dumpy since the days when I used to go out to post letters for Mr Blakeford.