"The whole population of London was there, and half of it on top of me before I could wink. I thought they would strip the clothes off me, and they nearly did it."
"And have you been here alone ever since? Have you had nothing to eat or drink since you got back?"
"Oh," said Jem, "we had too much attention in the morning, and too little as the day went on. We were expecting you home, and so took the liberty of coming up here and waiting for you, thinking you might be good enough to send out for some one who would dress our wounds; but luckily that's not needed now."
"Why is it not needed?" I asked. "I'll send at once.
"Oh, no," moaned Paddy, "there was one good friend that did not forget us."
"Well," said Jem, "he seemed mighty afeerd of coming in. I suppose he thought it was on his advice that we went where we did, and he was afeerd we thought badly of him for it; but of course we had no blame to put on the poor little man."
"In Heaven's name, who are you talking of?" said I.
"Doctor Chord," answered Jem. "He put his head inside the door and inquired for us, and inquired specially where you were; but that, of course, we couldn't tell him. He was very much put out to find us mis-handled, and he sent us some tankards of beer, which are now empty, and we're waiting for him because he promised to come back and attend to our injuries."
"Then you didn't see Doctor Chord in the gardens?"
"In what gardens?" asked Bottles.