here, on the deck, with the Bible in 'is 'ands. And
before I knew what I was doin', I'd caught the book out of 'is
'ands, and chucked it into the river, my own Bible, that my own
mother had given me when I was a little kid, and I threw my arms
round his neck, and held his head against my bosom, so that his
mouth was shut, and 'e couldn't speak.

'No, no, no, Tom,' says I, 'you mustn't swear it, and you shan't.
Think of the girl, think of your poor old woman, think of the poor
little kid that's comin', what ud us all do without you? And you
hanged for the sake of such trash as that! Why, 'e ain't worth it,'
says I, tryin' to laugh.

Then 'e got 'is 'ead out of my arms and stood lookin' about 'im,
like a man that's 'ad a bad dream and 'as just waked up. Then 'e
smacks me on the back, 'All right, old woman,' says 'e, 'we won't
swear nothin', but it'll be a bad day for him when 'e comes a-nigh
the William and Mary.'

So no more was said. And we got through the winter somehow, and the
baby was born, as fine a gell as ever you see; and what I said come
true, for we couldn't none of us 'ave loved the baby more if its
father and mother 'ad been married by an archbishop in Westminster
Abbey. And the folks we knew along the banks would have been kind to
my Pretty, but she wouldn't never show her face to any of them.
'I've got you, mother, and I've got father and the baby, and I don't
want no one else,' says she.

My Tom, he wasn't never the same man after that night 'e 'd got out
the Bible to swear. He give up the drink, but it didn't make 'im no
cheerfuller, and 'e went to church now and then, a thing I'd never
known 'im do since we was married. And time went on, and it was
August again, with a big yellow moon in the sky.

My Pretty and the baby was in bed, and the old man and me, we was
just a-turnin' in, when we 'eard some one a-runnin' along the
tow-path. My old man puts 'is 'ead out to see who's there, and as 'e
looked a man come runnin' along close by where we was moored, and 'e
jumped on to our barge, not stoppin' to look at the name, and, 'For
God's sake, hide me!' says 'e, and it was a soldier in a red coat
with a scared face, as I see by the light of the moon. And it was
Bill Jarvis what 'ad brought our girl to shame and run away and left
'er on 'er weddin' morn; and I looked to see my old man take 'im by
the shoulder and chuck 'im into the water. And Jarvis didn't see
whose barge he'd come aboard of.

'I've go