itted the room where Mrs Forster lay in a deplorable
condition: her sharp nose broken, and twisted on one side; her eyebrow
cut open to the bone, and a violent contusion on her forehead. In less
than half an hour it was spread through the whole town that Spinney had
been murdered by Mrs Forster, and that his brains were bespattered all
over the shop windows!

VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER SEVEN.

That she is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true, 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis, 'tis true: a foolish figure;
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant her then; and now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect,
Or rather say, the cause of this defect.
SHAKESPEARE.

Mr Dragwell has already made honourable mention of his wife; it will
therefore only be necessary to add, that he had one daughter, a handsome
lively girl, engaged to a Mr Ramsden, the new surgeon of the place, who
had stepped into the shoes and the good-will of one who had retired from
forty years' practice upon the good people of Overton. Fanny Dragwell
had many good qualities, and many others which were rather doubtful.
One of the latter had procured her more enemies than at her age she had
any right to expect. It was what the French term "malice," which bears
a very different signification from the same word in our own language.
She delighted in all practical jokes, and would carry them to an excess,
at the very idea of which others would be startled; but it must be
acknowledged that she generally selected as her victims those who from
their conduct towards others richly deserved retaliation. The various
tricks which she had played upon certain cross old spinsters, tatlers,
scandalmongers, and backbiters, often were the theme of conversation and
of mirth: but this description of _espieglerie_ contains a most serious
objection; which is, that to carry on a successful and well arranged
plot, there must be a total disregard of truth. Latterly, Miss Fanny
had had no one to practise upon except Mr Ramsden, during the period of
his courtship--a period at which women never appear to so much
advantage, nor men appear so silly. But even for this, the time was
past, as latterly she had become so much attached to him that distress
on his part was a source of annoyance to herself. When therefore her
father came home, narrating the circumstances which had occurred, and
the plan which had been meditated, Fanny entered gaily into the scheme.
Mrs Fors