PTER THIRTY-NINE

In which I receive a very severe Blow from a Party or Parties
unknown.

The day after this conversation we fell in with several vessels
windbound at the entrance of the Channel. I took charge of one, and the
wind shifting to the S.W., and blowing strong, I carried her up to the
Pool. As soon as I could leave her I took a boat to go down to
Greenwich, as I was most anxious to have a long conversation with
Virginia. It was a dark squally night, with rain at intervals between
the gusts of wind, and I was wet through long before I landed at the
stairs, which was not until past eleven o'clock. I paid the waterman,
and hastened up to my mother's house, being aware that they would either
be all in bed or about to retire. It so happened that I did not go the
usual way, but passed by the house of old Nanny; and as I walked by with
a quick step, and was thinking of her and her misfortunes, I fell over
something which, in the dark, I did not perceive, and which proved to be
some iron railings, which the workmen who were fixing them up had
carelessly left on the ground, previous to their returning to their work
on the ensuing morning. Fortunately the spikes at the ends of them were
from me, and I received no injury, except a severe blow on the shin; and
as I stopped a moment to rub it, I thought that I heard a cry from the
direction of old Nanny's house; but the wind was very high, and I was
not certain. I stopped and listened, and it was repeated. I gained the
door. It was so dark that I groped for the latch. The door was open, and
when I went in I heard a gurgling kind of noise and a rustling in her
chamber. "Who's there?--What's this?" cried I; for I had a foreboding
that something was wrong. I tumbled over some old iron, knocked down the
range of keys, and made a terrible din, when, of a sudden, just as I had
recovered my legs, I was thrown down again by somebody who rushed by me
and darted out of the door. As the person rushed by me I attempted to
seize his arm, but I received a severe blow on the mouth, which cut my
lip through, and at first I thought I had lost all my front teeth.

I rose up. I heard a heavy groaning; so, instead of pursuing the robber,
I felt my way into Nanny's chamber. "Nanny," said I, "mother, what's the
matter?" but there was no reply, except another groan. I knew where she
kept her tinderbox and matches; I found them, and struck a light; and by
the light of the match I p