up the steps with a boldness and passion
which made them all fall back, demanded:

'Who did that? Show me the man who hit me.'

Not a soul moved; except some in the rear who slunk off, and, escaping
to the other side of the way, looked on like indifferent spectators.

'Who did that?' he repeated. 'Show me the man who did it. Dog, was it
you? It was your deed, if not your hand--I know you.'

He threw himself on Gashford as he said the words, and hurled him to the
ground. There was a sudden motion in the crowd, and some laid hands upon
him, but his sword was out, and they fell off again.

'My lord--Sir John,'--he cried, 'draw, one of you--you are responsible
for this outrage, and I look to you. Draw, if you are gentlemen.' With
that he struck Sir John upon the breast with the flat of his weapon,
and with a burning face and flashing eyes stood upon his guard; alone,
before them all.

For an instant, for the briefest space of time the mind can readily
conceive, there was a change in Sir John's smooth face, such as no man
ever saw there. The next moment, he stepped forward, and laid one hand
on Mr Haredale's arm, while with the other he endeavoured to appease the
crowd.

'My dear friend, my good Haredale, you are blinded with passion--it's
very natural, extremely natural--but you don't know friends from foes.'

'I know them all, sir, I can distinguish well--' he retorted, almost mad
with rage. 'Sir John, Lord George--do you hear me? Are you cowards?'

'Never mind, sir,' said a man, forcing his way between and pushing him
towards the stairs with friendly violence, 'never mind asking that. For
God's sake, get away. What CAN you do against this number? And there are
as many more in the next street, who'll be round directly,'--indeed they
began to pour in as he said the words--'you'd be giddy from that cut, in
the first heat of a scuffle. Now do retire, sir, or take my word for it
you'll be worse used than you would be if every man in the crowd was a
woman, and that woman Bloody Mary. Come, sir, make haste--as quick as
you can.'

Mr Haredale, who began to turn faint and sick, felt how sensible
this advice was, and descended the steps with his unknown friend's
assistance. John Grueby (for John it was) helped him into the boat, and
giving her a shove off, which sent her thirty feet into the tide, bade
the waterman pull away like a Briton; and walked up again as composedly
as if he had just landed.

There was at first