ough a feather
bed was upon him. In the meantime the unfortunate mantle had fared
badly between them, and was now not worth the purchase-money which,
but ten minutes since, had been so eagerly tendered for it.

Things were in this state when Mr. Brown slowly descended into the
arena, while George Robinson, standing at the distant doorway in the
back, looked on with blushing cheeks. One of the girls had explained
to Mr. Brown what was the state of affairs, and he immediately
attempted to throw oil on the troubled waters.

"Wherefore all this noise?" he said, raising both his hands as he
advanced slowly to the spot. "Mr. Jones, I implore you to desist!"
But Mr. Jones was wedged down upon the counter, and could not desist.

"Madam, what can I do for you?" And he addressed himself to the back
of Mrs. Marony, which was still convulsed violently by her efforts to
pummel Mr. Jones.

"I believe he's well nigh killed her; I believe he has," said Miss
Biles.

Then, at last, the discreet youth returned with three policemen, and
the fight was at an end. That the victory was with Mrs. Morony nobody
could doubt. She held in her hand all but the smallest fragment of
the mantle,--the price of which, however, Miss Biles had been careful
to repocket,--and showed no sign of exhaustion, whereas Jones was
speechless. But, nevertheless, she was in tears, and appealed loudly
to the police and to the crowd as to her wrongs.

"I'm fairly murthered with him, thin, so I am,--the baist, the
villain, the swindhler. What am I to do at all, and my things all
desthroyed? Look at this, thin!" and she held up the cause of war.
"Did mortial man iver see the like of that? And I'm beaten black and
blue wid him,--so I am." And then she sobbed violently.

"So you are, Mrs. Morony," said Miss Biles. "He to call himself a man
indeed, and to go to strike a woman!"

"It's thrue for you, dear," continued Mrs. Morony. "Policemen, mind,
I give him in charge. You're all witnesses, I give that man in
charge."

Mr. Jones, also, was very eager to secure the intervention of the
police,--much more so than was Mr. Brown, who was only anxious that
everybody should retire. Mr. Jones could never be made to understand
that he had in any way been wrong. "A firm needn't sell an article
unless it pleases," he argued to the magistrate. "A firm is bound
to make good its promises, sir," replied the gentleman in Worship
Street. "And no respectable firm would for a moment