From the position in which he lay the big man, unable to see that assistance was at hand, continued to roar for help.
At the approach of this symbol of the law, Mrs. Bindle stepped back and brought her mop to the stand-at-ease position.
The policeman looked from one to the other, and then proceeded to ferret somewhere in the tails of his tunic, whence he produced a notebook. This was obviously a case requiring literary expression.
The big man, seeing Mrs. Bindle fall back, turned his head and caught a glimpse of the policeman. Very cautiously he raised himself to a sitting posture.
"She's been murderin' me," he said, with one eye fixed warily upon the mop. "'Ere, Charley!" he cried, looking over his left shoulder.
Charley reluctantly approached, regretful that law and order had triumphed over red revolution.
"Ain't she been tryin' to kill me?" demanded the big man of his offspring.
"Biffed 'im on the 'ead wiv the 'andle," corroborated the boy in a toneless voice.
"Poured water over me and 'it me in the stummick too, didn't she, Charley?" Once more the big man turned to his son for corroboration.
"Got 'im a rare 'un too!" agreed Charley, with a feeling in his voice that caused his father to look at him sharply. "Sloshed 'im on the jaw too," he added, as if finding pleasure in dwelling upon the sufferings of his parent.