Arrived at Exeter, Will walked cheerfully away to the County Gaol, a huge red-brick pile that scarce strikes so coldly upon the eye of the spectator as ordinary houses of detention.  Grey and black echo the significance of a prison, but warm red brick strikes through the eye to the brain, and the colour inspires a genial train of ideas beyond reason’s power instantly to banish.  But the walls, if ruddy, were high, and the rows of small, remote windows, black as the eye-socket of a skull, stretched away in dreary iron-bound perspective where the sides of the main fabric rose upward to its chastened architectural adornments.  Young Blanchard grunted to himself, gripped his stick, from one end of which was suspended his carpet-bag, and walked to the wicket at the side of the prison’s main entrance.  He rang a bell that jangled with tremendous echoes among the naked walls within; then there followed the rattle of locks as the sidegate opened, and a warder looked out to ask Will his business.  The man was burly and of stout build, while his fat, bearded face, red as the gaol walls themselves, attracted Blanchard by its pleasant expression.  Will’s eyes brightened at the aspect of this janitor; he touched his hat very civilly, wished the man “good afternoon,” and was about to step in when the other stopped him.

“Doan’t be in such a hurry, my son.  What’s brought ‘e, an’ who do ’e want?”

“My business is private, mister; I wants to see the head man.”

“The Governor?  Won’t nobody less do?  You can’t see him without proper appointment.  But maybe a smaller man might serve your turn?”

Will reflected, then laughed at the warder with that sudden magic of face that even softened hard hearts towards him.

“To be plain, mate, I’m here to stop.  You’ll be sure to knaw ’bout it sooner or late, so I’ll tell ’e now.  I’ve done a thing I must pay for, and ’t is a clink job, so I’ve comed right along.”

The warder grew rather sterner, and his eye instinctively roamed for a constable.

“Best say no more, then.  Awnly you’ve comed to the wrong place.  Police station’s what you want, I reckon.”

“Why for?  This be County Gaol, ban’t it?”

“Ess, that’s so; but we doan’t take in folks for the axin’.  Tu many queer caraters about.”

Will saw the man’s eyes twinkle, yet he was puzzled at this unexpected problem.

“Look here,” he said, “I like you, and I’ll deal fair by you an’ tell you the rights of it.  Step out here an’ listen.”

“Mind, what you sez will be used against you, then.”

“Theer ban’t no secret in it, for that matter.”

The husband thereupon related his recent achievement, and concluded thus: 

“So, having kicked up a mort o’ trouble, I doan’t want to make no more—­see?  An’ I stepped here quiet to keep it out of the papers, an’ just take what punishment’s right an’ vitty for marryin’ a maid wi’out so much as by your leave.  Now, then, caan’t ’e do the rest?”