his answer.

"I was within a hair's breadth, sir, of striking him. If I hadn't kept my
temper, I might have killed him."

"What did he do?"

"Flew into a furious rage. I don't complain of that; I daresay I deserved
it. Please to excuse my getting up again. I can't look you in the face,
and tell you of it." He walked away to the window. "Even a poor devil,
like me, does sometimes feel it when he is insulted. Mr. Roylake, he
kicked me. Say no more about it, sir! I would never have mentioned it, if
I hadn't had something else to tell you; only I don't know how." In this
difficulty, he came back to my bedside. "Look here, sir! What I say
is--that kick has wiped out the debt of thanks I owe him. Yes. I say the
account between us two is settled now, on both sides. In two words, sir,
if you mean to charge him before the magistrates with attempting your
life, I'll take my Bible oath he did attempt it, and you may call me as
your witness. There! Now it's out."

What his master had no doubt inferred, was what I saw plainly too.
Cristel had saved my life, and had been directed how to do it by the poor
fellow who had suffered in my cause.

"We will wait a little before we talk of setting the law in force," I
said. "In the meantime, Gloody, I want you to tell me what you would tell
the magistrate if I called you as a witness."

He considered a little. "The magistrate would put questions to
me--wouldn't he, sir? Very good. You put questions to me, and I'll answer
them to the best of my ability."

The investigation that followed was far too long and too wearisome to be
related here. If I give the substance of it, I shall have done enough.

Sometimes when he was awake, and supposed that he was alone--sometimes
when he was asleep and dreaming--the Cur had betrayed himself. (It was a
paltry vengeance, I own, to gratify a malicious pleasure--as I did
now--in thinking of him and speaking of him by the degrading name which
his morbid humility had suggested. But are the demands of a man's dignity
always paid in the ready money of prompt submission?) Anyway, it appeared
that Gloody had heard enough, in the sleeping moments and the solitary
moments of his master, to give him some idea of the jealous hatred with
which the Cur regarded me. He had done his best to warn me, without
actually betraying the man who had rescued him from starvation or the
workhouse--and he had failed.

But his resolution to do me good service, in return for