ntly in the face, not knowing
or caring exactly where he hit him, but at every blow obliterating a
feature. And he would have continued had not Ruby flown at him and
rescued Sir Felix from his arms. 'He's about got enough of it,' said
John Crumb as he gave over his work. Then Sir Felix fell again to the
ground, moaning fearfully. 'I know'd he'd have to have it,' said John
Crumb.

Ruby's screams of course brought the police, one arriving from each
end of the passage on the scene of action at the same time. And now
the cruellest thing of all was that Ruby in the complaints which she
made to the policemen said not a word against Sir Felix, but was as
bitter as she knew how to be in her denunciations of John Crumb. It
was in vain that John endeavoured to make the man understand that the
young woman had been crying out for protection when he had interfered.
Ruby was very quick of speech and John Crumb was very slow. Ruby swore
that nothing so horrible, so cruel, so bloodthirsty had ever been done
before. Sir Felix himself when appealed to could say nothing. He could
only moan and make futile efforts to wipe away the stream of blood
from his face when the men stood him up leaning against the railings.
And John, though he endeavoured to make the policemen comprehend the
extent of the wickedness of the young baronet, would not say a word
against Ruby. He was not even in the least angered by her
denunciations of himself. As he himself said sometimes afterwards, he
had 'dropped into the baronite' just in time, and, having been
successful in this, felt no wrath against Ruby for having made such an
operation necessary.

There was soon a third policeman on the spot, and a dozen other
persons, cab-drivers, haunters of the street by night, and houseless
wanderers, casuals who at this season of the year preferred the
pavements to the poorhouse wards. They all took part against John
Crumb. Why had the big man interfered between the young woman and her
young man? Two or three of them wiped Sir Felix's face, and dabbed his
eyes, and proposed this and the other remedy. Some thought that he had
better be taken straight to an hospital. One lady remarked that he was
so mashed and mauled that she was sure he would never 'come to'
again. A precocious youth remarked that he was 'all one as a dead
un'.' A cabman observed that he had ''ad it awful 'eavy.' To all these
criticisms on his condition Sir Felix himself made no direct reply,
but he in