'im go flyin' through the bloody
door,' said Bundy.

'You oughter 'ave more sense than to go interferin' like that,' said
Crass to Philpot. 'It was nothing to do with you.'

Philpot made no reply. He was standing with his back to the others,
peeping out into the street over the top of the window casing. Then he
opened the door and went out into the street. Crass and the
others--through the window--watched him assist the Semi-drunk to his
feet and rub some of the dirt off his clothes, and presently after some
argument they saw the two go away together arm in arm.

Crass and the others laughed, and returned to their half-finished
drinks.

'Why, old Joe ain't drunk 'ardly 'arf of 'is!' cried Easton, seeing
Philpot's porter on the counter. 'Fancy going away like that!'

'More fool 'im,' growled Crass. 'There was no need for it: the man's
all right.'

The Besotted Wretch gulped his beer down as quickly as he could, with
his eyes fixed greedily on Philpot's glass. He had just finished his
own and was about to suggest that it was a pity to waste the porter
when Philpot unexpectedly reappeared.

'Hullo! What 'ave you done with 'im?' inquired Crass.

'I think 'e'll be all right,' replied Philpot. 'He wouldn't let me go
no further with 'im: said if I didn't go away, 'e'd go for me! But I
believe 'e'll be all right. I think the fall sobered 'im a bit.'

'Oh, 'e's all right,' said Crass offhandedly. 'There's nothing the
matter with 'im.'

Philpot now drank his porter, and bidding 'good night' to the Old Dear,
the landlady and the Besotted Wretch, they all set out for home. As
they went along the dark and lonely thoroughfare that led over the hill
to Windley, they heard from time to time the weird roaring of the wild
animals in the menagerie that was encamped in the adjacent field. Just
as they reached a very gloomy and deserted part, they suddenly observed
a dark object in the middle of the road some distance in front of them.
It seemed to be a large animal of some kind and was coming slowly and
stealthily towards them.

They stopped, peering in a half-frightened way through the darkness.
The animal continued to approach. Bundy stooped down to the ground,
groping about in search of a stone, and--with the exception of Crass,
who was too frightened to move--the others followed his example. They
found several large stones and stood waiting for the creature--whatever
it was--to come a little nearer so as to g