But she would "come round" yet more before he had done with her.
His idea was to take Polly to Dulwich and show her the bow-wows; he saw possibilities of a quiet meal together at the inn.

The difficulty was to reassure her natural tremors, without losing the ground he had gained by judicious approaches.
About the middle of July he prevailed upon her to accept his invitation, and to come alone, though Polly continued to declare that she hated dogs, and that she had never in her life gone to so remote and rural a spot as Dulwich without a "lady friend" to keep her in countenance.
"Everything must have a beginning," said Gammon merrily.
"If you let those people know, I'll never speak to you again." She referred to Mrs.Bubb and her household, of whom she had never ceased to speak with animus.
"Honour bright, they shan't hear a whisper of it." So on a Sunday morning they made the journey by omnibus for the sake of the fresh air, Polly remarking again and again on her great condescension, reaffirming her dislike of dogs, and declaring that if a drop of rain fell she would turn about homeward forthwith.

None the less did she appear to find pleasure in Mr.Gammon's society.

If his gossip included a casual mention of some young lady, a friend of his, she pressed for information concerning that person, and never seemed quite satisfied with what she was told about her.

Slyly observant of this, her companion multiplied his sportive allusions, and was amused to find Polly grow waspish.