nt made shift to carry on his
practice without hiring another journeyman in my room.

The first thing I attempted towards a certain discovery of my secret
enemy, was to get into O'Donnell's apartment, while he was abroad in an
undress, and examine his sword, the point of which being broken off, I
applied the fragment that was found sticking in my body, and found it
answered the fractured part exactly. There was no room left for doubt;
and all that remained was to fix upon a scheme of revenge, which almost
solely engrossed my thoughts during the space of eight nights and days.
Sometimes I was tempted to fall upon him in the same manner as he had
practised upon me, and kill him outright. But this assault my honour
opposed as a piece of barbarous cowardice, in which he was not to
be imitated. At other times I entertained thoughts of demanding
satisfaction in an honourable way; but was diverted from this
undertaking by considering the uncertainty of the event, and the nature
of the injury he had done me, which did not entitle him to such easy
terms. At last I determined to pursue a middle course, and actually put
my design in execution after this manner. Having secured the assistance
of Strap and two of his acquaintance whom he could depend upon, we
provided ourselves with disguises, and I caused the following letter
to be delivered to him by one of our associates in livery, one Sunday
evening:--

"Sir--If I may be allowed to judge from appearance, it will not be
disagreeable for you to hear that my husband is gone to Bagshot to visit
a patient, and will not return till to-morrow night; so that, if you
have anything to propose to me (as your behaviour on many occasions
has seemed to insinuate), you will do well to embrace the present
opportunity of seeing, Yours, etc." This letter was signed with the
Dame of an apothecary's wife who lived in Chelsea, of whom I had heard
O'Donnell was an admirer. Everything succeeded to our wish. The hero
hastened towards the place of appointment, and was encountered by us
in the very place where he had assaulted me. We rushed upon him all
at once, secured his sword, stripped off his clothes even to the skin,
which was scourged with nettles till he was blistered from head to foot,
notwithstanding all the eloquence of his tears and supplications. When
I was satisfied with the stripes I had bestowed, we carried off his
clothes, which we hid in a hedge near the place, and left him stark
naked