Part 7 (1/2)
”'Wich I'm much hobleeged to you for the name, an' the good advice you give the master, stirrin' hov 'im hup against a lone, friendless widow, wat's slaved an' worked this six years come St. Michaelmas.'
”Mr. Grahame, of course, with the _mauvais honte_ which men too generally display towards angry and unreasonable women, took an awkward leave of the angry widow, and poor Worrell, whom she treated to a lecture of half an hour, ending with a lively fit of tears and hysterics. As the poor little man turned away, leaving her in the hands of a servant, he caught her last broken objurgations.
”'An hungrateful fool, marry an' turn me hoff; ugh, ugh! fix 'im, hany 'ow.'
”The following morning Worrell rose early, and pa.s.sing through the breakfast-room, received a sulky greeting from his housekeeper, and went out to over-look the labors of his men. Feeling a little unwell, he returned to his room, and finding his dog in his bed, flung him into a spare room, and getting into bed, went to sleep. Now, both dog and master had a very unhealthy habit--that of keeping the head covered with bed-clothes; and so it happened that when Mrs. Sims entered the room, she saw, as she supposed, the black ears and head of the hated Carlo.
”Revenge urged her to undue and overhasty punishment; her overcharged feelings sought relief on some object, and a stout-handled broom was in her grasp. At last vengeance was within her reach; should she relinquish it? No, a thousand times no!
”'You dirty brute!' she yelled, in fury. 'You hold rascal, I'll pay you out! I'll murder you! I'll kill you!'
”Such was the preface of a shower of blows, which suddenly broke the rest of the defenceless Worrell. Half stunned, astounded, almost paralyzed, he heard, as if in a terrible dream, the threats which accompanied the merciless blows of the a.s.sailant.
”'I've got you! Sleep again, will you? I'll kill you, you hold fool!
I'll murder--Good Lord! hit's my master;' and as a bruised and b.l.o.o.d.y face, surmounting a meager figure, in remarkably scanty drapery, vanished out of the room, Mrs. Sims drew a long breath, and fainted in real earnest in one corner.
”Worrell never stopped until he reached Grahame's, who rather hastily caught up a shawl, and wrapping him in it, got him to his chamber, and into a suit of his own clothes, only about twice too large, for Grahame was one of the tallest men in the county.
”When he had composed himself sufficiently, a complaint was duly entered against Mrs. Sims for 'a.s.sault with intent to kill;' and Mrs. Sims, despite her piteous entreaties, was arrested and brought before the magistrate. Her appeals for mercy were heart-rending.
”'Ho, mercy, your washup; mercy, Mr. Worrell. Wich I thinks. .h.i.t were that dratted dorg. Don't 'ang me. I never hintended--' But Worrell was inexorable.
”'But you said you would kill me, you would murder me, and you nearly did murder me.'
”'Wich I told your brother--ugh, ugh! an' I've slaved, an', ugh, ugh!
an' wich it were all a mistake--ugh, ugh! 'ave mercy, gentlemen.'
”'But you said you would murder me, and you nearly did murder me, and--'
”'Peace, Mr. Worrell,' said Grahame, impressively; 'the hour of your redemption draweth nigh. Prisoner at the bar,' continued he, 'the crime which you have committed has always been held in just aversion and horror by the English nation. Repaying the trust and confidence of your master with unkind persecution and a shrewish tongue, you have finished the measure of your misdeeds by what might have proved a most brutal murder. Your unsupported statement, that you mistook Mr. Worrell for his dog, would have little or no weight on any unprejudiced jury. We, however, incline to mercy; and I therefore bind you over, in the sum of one thousand pounds, to keep the peace for six months.'
”'Wherever can I find so much money?' asked the despairing prisoner.
”'On condition that you will leave for England, I will find bail for you. Understand, however, that they will give you up, should you fail to depart at the earliest opportunity.'
”Poor Mrs. Sims went in the next s.h.i.+p 'bound home;' but the story got abroad at once, and Worrell never married. Great amus.e.m.e.nt, of course, was created by the recital, and it became a favorite of the members of the bar on circuit, who, however, generally expressed one regret, viz., 'that Worrell escaped alive, as the world thereby lost a most remarkable criminal case.'
”Well, that's all there is of it; and as it's nine o'clock, and we want to be up early, I think I'll conclude by bidding you all 'good night, and pleasant dreams.'”
CHAPTER IV.
THE GRAND FLIGHT.--A GOOD STRATAGEM.--THE PACKET LIGHT.
At sunrise the next morning, the sportsmen hurried through their frugal meal, and hastened to their various ”ice-houses;” for a great change had taken place in the weather, which, although the rain had ceased and the sky had cleared somewhat, was still mild and spring-like. Even as they lit their cigars at the door, they heard far up the cove the calls of the wild geese, and a scattering volley which told that the Indians had been early at their posts. Above the others arose two heavy reports, which Davies declared could come from no other gun than Peter's newly-acquired double-barrel.
With hastened steps the East Bar party took the ice, La Salle drawing behind him a long ”taboggin,” or Indian sled, consisting merely of a long, wide, half-inch board, turned up at one end, and forming, in fact, a single broad runner, which cannot upset, and will bear a heavy load over the lightest snow without sinking too deeply. On it were placed, besides his own gun and that of Kennedy, a heavy target rifle, a large lunch-box, and an ample bucket containing ammunition.
”You mean to 'lay them out' to-day, I guess, Charley,” said Creamer, good-humoredly. ”You ain't apt to want ammunition, any way.”
”What will you take for to-day's bag, cash down?” asked Ben, laughing.