The maltster being rather short of breath, Mr. Coggan, after absently scrutinising a coal which had fallen among the ashes, took up the narrative, with a private twirl of his eye: -"Well, now, you'd hardly believe it, but that man -husbands alive, after a while. Understand? 'a didn't want to be fickle, but he couldn't help it. The poor feller were faithful and true enough to her in his wish, but his heart would rove, do what he would. He spoke to me in real tribulation about it once. "Coggan," he said, "I could never wish for a handsomer woman than I've got, but feeling she's ticketed as my lawful wife, I can't help my wicked heart wandering, do what I will." But at last I believe he cured it by making her take off her wedding-ring and calling her by her maiden name as they sat together after the shop was shut, and so 'a would get to fancy she was only his sweetheart, and not married to him at all. And as soon as he could thoroughly fancy he was doing wrong and committing the seventh, 'a got to like her as well as ever, and they lived on a perfect picture of mutel love."
"Well, 'twas a most ungodly remedy." murmured Joseph Poorgrass; "but we ought to feel deep cheerfulness that a happy Providence kept it from being any worse. You see, he might have gone the bad road and given his eyes to unlawfulness entirely -- yes, gross unlawfulness, so to say it."
"You see." said Billy Smallbury, "The man's will was to do right, sure enough, but his heart didn't chime in."
"He got so much better, that he was quite godly in his later years, wasn't he, Jan?" said Joseph Poorgrass. "He got himself confirmed over again in a more serious way, and took to saying "Amen" almost as loud as the clerk, and he liked to copy comforting verses from the tombstones. He used, too, to hold the moneyplate at Let Your Light so Shine, and stand godfather to poor little come-by-chance children; and he kept a missionary box upon his table to nab folks unawares when they called; yes, and he would-box the charityboys' ears, if they laughed in church, till they could hardly stand upright, and do other deeds of piety natural to the saintly inclined."
"Ay, at that time he thought of nothing but high things." added Billy Smallbury. "One day Parson Thirdly met him and said, "Good-Morning, Mister Everdene; 'tis a fine day!" "Amen" said Everdene, quite absentlike, thinking only of religion when he seed a parson"Their daughter was not at all a pretty chile at that time." said Henery Fray. "Never should have. thought she'd have growed up such a handsome body as she is."