My dear child, what has happened?"

Before I could answer there came wafted to our ears from eastward a
sound of distant shouting, and almost simultaneously, from the
high-road near at hand, the trit-trot of hoofs approaching at great
speed from westward, and the "Who-oop!" of a man's voice, lusty on
the morning air.

"That will be Mr. Jack Rogers," said Plinny. "He brings us news, for
certain! Yes; he is reining up."

We ran through the house together, and reached the front door in time
to witness a most extraordinary scene.

Mr. Jack Rogers's tilbury had run past the house and come to a halt a
short gunshot beyond, where it stood driverless--for Mr. Jack Rogers
had dismounted, and was gesticulating with both arms to stop a man
racing down the road to meet him. A moment later, as this runner
came on, a second hove in sight over the rise of the road behind
him--a short figure, so stout and round that in the distance it
resembled not so much a man as a ball rolling in pursuit.

"Hi! Stop, you there!" shouted Mr. Rogers; but the first runner
might have been deaf, for all the attention he paid.

"Good Lord!" said I, catching my breath; "it's Mr. George
Goodfellow!"

"In the King's name!" Mr. Rogers shouted, making a dash to intercept
him. And a moment later the two had collided, and were rolling in
the dust together.

I ran towards them, with Plinny--brave soul!--at my heels, and
arrived to find Mr. Rogers, hatless and exceedingly dishevelled,
kneeling with both hands around the neck of his prostrate antagonist,
and holding his face down in the dust.

"You'd best stand up and come along quietly," Mr. Rogers adjured
him.

"Gug-gug--how the devil c-can I stand up if you won't lul-lul-let
me?" protested Mr. Goodfellow, reasonably enough.

"Very well, then." Mr. Rogers relaxed his grip. "Stand up!
But you're my prisoner, so let's have no more nonsense!"

"I'd like to know what's taken ye to pitch into a man like this?"
demanded Mr. Goodfellow in a tone of great umbrage, as he shook the
dust out of his coat and hair. "A fellow I never seen before, not to
my knowledge! Why--hallo!" said he, looking up and catching sight of
me.

"Hallo!" said I.

"Hallo!" said Mr. Rogers, in his turn. "Do you two know each other?"

"Why, of course we do!" said Mr. Goodfellow.

"I don't know where 'of course' comes in." Mr. Rogers eyed him with
stern suspicion. "Why were you running away from the constable?"

Mr. G