back
on the sofa, and chuckling at the remembrance. "We had such a game with
him one day last half. He had been kicking up horrid stinks for some
time in his study, till I suppose some fellow told Mary, and she told
the Doctor. Anyhow, one day a little before dinner, when he came down
from the library, the Doctor, instead of going home, came striding into
the hall. East and I and five or six other fellows were at the fire, and
preciously we stared, for he don't come in like that once a year, unless
it is a wet day and there's a fight in the hall. 'East,' says he, 'just
come and show me Martin's study.' 'Oh, here's a game,' whispered the
rest of us; and we all cut upstairs after the Doctor, East leading. As
we got into the New Row, which was hardly wide enough to hold the Doctor
and his gown, click, click, click, we heard in the old Madman's den.
Then that stopped all of a sudden, and the bolts went to like fun. The
Madman knew East's step, and thought there was going to be a siege.

"'It's the Doctor, Martin. He's here and wants to see you,' sings out
East.

"Then the bolts went back slowly, and the door opened, and there was
the old Madman standing, looking precious scared--his jacket off, his
shirt-sleeves up to his elbows, and his long skinny arms all covered
with anchors and arrows and letters, tattooed in with gunpowder like a
sailor-boy's, and a stink fit to knock you down coming out. 'Twas
all the Doctor could do to stand his ground, and East and I, who were
looking in under his arms, held our noses tight. The old magpie was
standing on the window-sill, all his feathers drooping, and looking
disgusted and half-poisoned.

"'What can you be about, Martin?' says the Doctor. 'You really mustn't
go on in this way; you're a nuisance to the whole passage.'

"'Please, sir, I was only mixing up this powder; there isn't any harm
in it. And the Madman seized nervously on his pestle and mortar, to
show the Doctor the harmlessness of his pursuits, and went on
pounding--click, click, click. He hadn't given six clicks before, puff!
up went the whole into a great blaze, away went the pestle and mortar
across the study, and back we tumbled into the passage. The magpie
fluttered down into the court, swearing, and the Madman danced out,
howling, with his fingers in his mouth. The Doctor caught hold of him,
and called to us to fetch some water. 'There, you silly fellow,' said
he, quite pleased, though, to find he wasn't much hur