e-officer, and reminded the assailants that they
were attacking inoffensive passengers, saw nothing better for it than
to imitate his father's example, and seized also one of the weapons thus
opportunely offered.

When they displayed these demonstrations of defence, the rush which
the rabble at first made towards them was so great as to throw down the
unfortunate dwarf, who would have been trampled to death in the scuffle,
had not his stout old namesake cleared the rascal crowd from about him
with a few flourishes of his weapon, and seizing on the fallen champion,
put him out of danger (except from missiles), by suddenly placing him
on the bulk-head, that is to say, the flat wooden roof of the cutler's
projecting booth. From the rusty ironware, which was displayed there,
the dwarf instantly snatched an old rapier and target, and covering
himself with the one, stood making passes with the other, at the faces
and eyes of the people in the street; so much delighted with his post of
vantage, that he called loudly to his friends who were skirmishing
with the riotous on more equal terms as to position, to lose no time
in putting themselves under his protection. But far from being in a
situation to need his assistance, the father and son might easily have
extricated themselves from the rabble by their own exertions, could they
have thought of leaving the mannikin in the forlorn situation, in which,
to every eye but his own, he stood like a diminutive puppet, tricked out
with sword and target as a fencing-master's sign.

Stones and sticks began now to fly very thick, and the crowd,
notwithstanding the exertions of the Peverils to disperse them with
as little harm as possible, seemed determined on mischief, when some
gentlemen who had been at the trial, understanding that the prisoners
who had been just acquitted were in danger of being murdered by the
populace, drew their swords, and made forward to effect their rescue,
which was completed by a small party of the King's Life Guards, who had
been despatched from their ordinary post of alarm, upon intelligence of
what was passing. When this unexpected reinforcement arrived, the old
jolly Knight at once recognised, amidst the cries of those who then
entered upon action, some of the sounds which had animated his more
active years.

"Where be these cuckoldly Roundheads," cried some.--"Down with the
sneaking knaves!" cried others.--"The King and his friends, and the
devil a one el