The Water lily Pond

I thought it best to go back. As I drew nearer to them, trying to propitiate the tinker by my looks, I observed that the woman had a black eye. ¡¡¡¡'Where are you going?' said the tinker, gripping the bosom of my shirt with his blackened hand. ¡¡¡¡'I am going to Dover,' I said. ¡¡¡¡'Where do you come from?' asked the tinker, giving his hand another turn in my shirt, to hold me more securely. ¡¡¡¡'I come from London,' I said. ¡¡¡¡'What lay are you upon?' asked the tinker. 'Are you a prig?' ¡¡¡¡'N-no,' I said. ¡¡¡¡'Ain't you, by G--? If you make a brag of your
honesty to me,' said the tinker, 'I'll knock your brains out.' ¡¡¡¡With his disengaged hand he made a menace of striking me, and then looked at me from head to foot. ¡¡¡¡'Have you got the price of a pint of beer about you?' said the tinker. 'If you have, out with it, afore I take it away!' ¡¡¡¡I should certainly have produced it, but that I met the woman's look, and saw her very slightly shake her head, and form 'No!' with her lips.