g-room
immediately on his return. In this way an hour was allowed him, and
he endeavoured to compose himself. Still, even at the end of the
hour, his heart was beating so violently that he could hardly control
the motion of his own limbs. "Low, I have been shot at by a madman,"
he said, as soon as his friend entered the room. He had determined to
be calm, and to speak much more of the document in the editor's hands
than of the attempt which had been made on his own life; but he had
been utterly unable to repress the exclamation.

"Shot at?"

"Yes; by Robert Kennedy; the man who was Chancellor of the
Duchy;--almost within a yard of my head." Then he sat down and burst
out into a fit of convulsive laughter.

The story about the pistol was soon told, and Mr. Low was of opinion
that Phineas should not have left the place without calling in
policemen and giving an account to them of the transaction. "But
I had something else on my mind," said Phineas, "which made it
necessary that I should see you at once;--something more important
even than this madman's attack upon me. He has written a most
foul-mouthed attack upon his wife, which is already in print, and
will I fear be published to-morrow morning." Then he told the story
of the letter. "Slide no doubt will be at the _People's Banner_
office to-night, and I can see him there. Perhaps when I tell
him what has occurred he will consent to drop the publication
altogether."

But in this view of the matter Mr. Low did not agree with his
visitor. He argued the case with a deliberation which to Phineas in
his present state of mind was almost painful. If the whole story of
what had occurred were told to Quintus Slide, that worthy protector
of morals and caterer for the amusement of the public would, Mr.
Low thought, at once publish the letter and give a statement of the
occurrence at Macpherson's Hotel. There would be nothing to hinder
him from so profitable a proceeding, as he would know that no one
would stir on behalf of Lady Laura in the matter of the libel, when
the tragedy of Mr. Kennedy's madness should have been made known. The
publication would be as safe as attractive. But if Phineas should
abstain from going to him at all, the same calculation which had
induced him to show the letter would induce him to postpone the
publication, at any rate for another twenty-four hours. "He means
to make capital out of his virtue; and he won't give that up for
the sake of being a