s driving at.

"'Oh!' he'll say, 'you know very well what I mean. The question is: _Are
you going to marry the girl or not_?'

"I'll see that things are gettin' a little warm and that I'm in a
corner, so I'll say:

"'Why, I never thought about it. This is pretty sudden and out of the
common, isn't it? I don't mind marrying the girl if she'll have me. Why!
I haven't asked her yet!'

"'Well, look here,' he'll say, 'if you agree to marry the girl--and I'll
make you marry her, any road--I'll give you that there farm over there
and a couple of hundred to start on.'

"So, I'll marry her and settle down and be a cocky myself and if you
ever happen to be knocking round there hard up, you needn't go short of
tucker a week or two; but don't come knocking round the house when I'm
not at home."

STEELMAN

Steelman was a hard case. If you were married, and settled down, and
were so unfortunate as to have known Steelman in other days, he would,
if in your neighbourhood and dead-beat, be sure to look you up. He would
find you anywhere, no matter what precautions you might take. If he came
to your house, he would stay to tea without invitation, and if he stayed
to tea, he would ask you to "fix up a shake-down on the floor, old
man," and put him up for the night; and, if he stopped all night, he'd
remain--well, until something better turned up.

There was no shaking off Steelman. He had a way about him which would
often make it appear as if you had invited him to stay, and pressed
him against his roving inclination, and were glad to have him round for
company, while he remained only out of pure goodwill to you. He didn't
like to offend an old friend by refusing his invitation.

Steelman knew his men.

The married victim generally had neither the courage nor the ability to
turn him out. He was cheerfully blind and deaf to all hints, and if the
exasperated missus said anything to him straight, he would look shocked,
and reply, as likely as not:

"Why, my good woman, you must be mad! I'm your husband's guest!"

And if she wouldn't cook for him, he'd cook for himself. There was no
choking him off. Few people care to call the police in a case like this;
and besides, as before remarked, Steelman knew his men. The only way to
escape from him was to move--but then, as likely as not, he'd help pack
up and come along with his portmanteau right on top of the last load of
furniture, and drive you and your wife to the verge of