When the storm had reached this height it speedily subsided. It was no part of Peace’s plan to be a noisy neighbour. These disturbances, however, were repeated, and the neighbours knew that things were not going well at No. 5.
They wondered why it was that the afternoon, or the early hours of the evening, should be selected for these scenes, which in ordinary households usually come on later in the evening; but they were not sufficiently curious to follow the matter up.
On one occasion when the boy’s voice was heard, as imploring “father” to stop, the shriek of the woman, who was evidently suffering some outrage, was so agonising that a person passing ran up the steps and knocked for admittance.
In an instant everything was still. The man who could strike the woman was equal, no doubt, to gagging her mouth when her cries attracted attention. Mrs. Ward, the next day, always made a point of explaining the sounds in her own way.
Mrs. Thompson had been drinking again, and Mr. Thompson was angry with her. She did wish Mrs. Thompson would leave off the evil habit, as she was sure it would break the heart of her husband.
Her husband all this time seemed more bent on breaking Mrs. Thompson’s head than his own heart, but Mrs. Ward played her part well—so well that some of the neighbours appear indisposed even as yet to believe any good whatever of the poor creature who, in an evil hour, linked her fate to the burglar and murderer.
One time Peace’s cruelty reached a crisis.
Mrs. Thompson ran from the house, and sought shelter from Mrs. Long, who lives in Kimberley-road, a short way off. Thompson, she said, had struck her insensible, and amongst other marks of ill-usage she pointed to her eyes, which were frightfully discoloured.
Her face was cut—the effects of a blow he had given her with his fist. He always wore a large diamond ring—sometimes two of them—and that afternoon, Mrs. Thompson having offended him at tea, he coolly rose up from his seat and “landed her” a couple of frightful blows on the face.
This was the outrage which had roused Mrs. Thompson to leave the house whenever Peace’s back was turned. She began to tell Mrs. Long her miserable story.