“There you are, you see!” he said. “Aren’t I a great hand at restoring you to respectability? Stand up! There, you look as irreproachable as Britannia herself!”
He cleaned his own boots a little, washed his hands in a puddle, and sang. They went on into Clifton village. He was madly in love with her; every movement she made, every crease in her garments, sent a hot flash through him and seemed adorable.