The tinker, or rather reduced ironmonger, was nothing loath, and
entered and took a seat. "I shall lose a quarter, but never mind,"
he said. "Well, really, I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked
in! It seemed as if I was flung back again into last night, all of a
sudden."
"So you are. Pour out for Mr. Taylor."
He now perceived that she was sitting beside Jude, her arm being
round his waist. Jude, like the rest of the company, bore on his
face the signs of how deeply he had been indulging.
"Well, we've been waiting for certain legal hours to arrive, to
tell the truth," she continued bashfully, and making her spirituous
crimson look as much like a maiden blush as possible. "Jude and I
have decided to make up matters between us by tying the knot again,
as we find we can't do without one another after all. So, as a
bright notion, we agreed to sit on till it was late enough, and go
and do it off-hand."
Jude seemed to pay no great heed to what she was announcing, or
indeed to anything whatever. The entrance of Taylor infused fresh
spirit into the company, and they remained sitting, till Arabella
whispered to her father: "Now we may as well go."
"But the parson don't know?"
"Yes, I told him last night that we might come between eight and
nine, as there were reasons of decency for doing it as early and
quiet as possible; on account of it being our second marriage, which
might make people curious to look on if they knew. He highly
approved."
"Oh very well: I'm ready," said her father, getting up and shaking
himself.
"Now, old darling," she said to Jude. "Come along, as you promised."
"When did I promise anything?" asked he, whom she had made so tipsy
by her special knowledge of that line of business as almost to have
made him sober again--or to seem so to those who did not know him.
"Why!" said Arabella, affecting dismay. "You've promised to marry me
several times as we've sat here to-night. These gentlemen have heard
you."
"I don't remember it," said Jude doggedly. "There's only one
woman--but I won't mention her in this Capharnaum!"
Arabella looked towards her father. "Now, Mr. Fawley be honourable,"
said Donn. "You and my daughter have been living here together these
three or four days, quite on the understanding that you were going to
marry her. Of course I shouldn't have had such goings on in my house
if I hadn't understood that. As a point of honour you must do it
now."