“Highly discriminating, Bob!” said Sir John. “Anything more?”
“Aye, sir, he did. ‘Robbie,’ says he, ‘women ha’ made fools o’ men from the beginning!’ says he, ‘and so they will to the end! A plague on ’em!’ says he, and spurs off at a gallop afore I could make retort ade-quate, sir.”
“Hum!” murmured Sir John pensively. “As to our Mr. Sturton, have you felt yourself impelled to any further acts of—hostility, Bob?”
“Only very slightly, your honour. To be particular, the day afore yesterday, precise time three-thirty-five p.m., chancing to observe certain young female in——”
“Damsel, Robert!”
“Yes, your honour ... in tears, sir, I stepped alongside of said young fe——”
“Maid, Robert!”
“Exactly, sir ... and surprised Mr. S. addressing old Mr. Dumbrell with extreme vin-dictiveness, your honour, and old Mr. Dumbrell’s hat in a puddle, sir. Whereupon, felt it urgent to wipe Mr. S.’s face with said hat, and so the action ended, sir. But, same evening, being approximately fifteen or, say, twelve minutes to nine o’ the clock, observing Mr. S. berating old Dame Haryott in fashion out-rageous, felt called upon to re-monstrate with said Mr. S., who, there and then, sir, did call up two fellows, very tough customers indeed, and ordered ’em to set about me, which they immediately did. Being thus outnumbered three to one, sir, attacked on both flanks and centre, I posted my rear agin a wall and was preparing to maintain position to extremity when, at critical moment, received reinforcements in shape of a man by name Potter, who played a small bludgeon most determined and with so nice a dexterity as ’twas a pleasure to witness, with the happy result, sir, that the enemy drew off, leaving us masters o’ the field, your honour, which happened to be Dame Haryott’s front garden.”
“And what, Bob—what do you think of Mr. Potter?”
“That he’s one as takes a deal o’ knowing, sir. But, your honour, he happened to tell me a thing as set me wondering. He told me that Mr. S. walks over to ‘The Black Horse’ at Wilmington very frequent, and there meets or con-sorts with Christopher Oxham, Lord Sayle’s bailiff.”