The wretched woman was so alarmed, that she went down from the upper room and opened the front door.
“For mercy’s sake, Peace, do go away—there’s a good fellow. I must not and will not have anything to say to you, after your cowardly conduct.”
He tormentingly laughed at this last observation.
He placed one arm round her shoulders, drew her towards him, and endeavoured to embrace her.
She was a powerful woman, and struggled desperately to release herself from his grasp.
A violent struggle ensued, in which Mrs. Dyson struck Peace repeatedly with her clenched fist; but his perseverance was beyond all bounds.
He fought like a demon, and his conduct, taken altogether, was like that of a perfect madman.
How long the conflict would have continued, and what would have been its issue, it is not possible to say, had it not been for the unlooked-for assistance arriving.
A policeman, who happened to be passing, attracted Mrs. Dyson’s attention. She called to him, and he at once came to the rescue.
“Take this man away,” she said.