sitting on his horse, and it couldn't matter to him, so I stepped out on the front of the cart, and standing on the shafts, I first pulled out one peg and then another, while they were busy talking to each other, with their heads so close, that his face was under her bonnet. As soon as the second peg was out, I helped up the front of the cart a little, and back it went, shooting them out right head foremost in the mud. You never saw such a scramble, for they had caught hold of each other in their fright, and they rolled and floundered, and were half smothered before they could recover their feet; and then a pretty pickle they were in, wet to the skin, and covered with mud from one end to the other; they could not see out of their eyes. Peggy did nothing but scream and flounder—she was frightened out of her wits-while the carman and I laughed ready to split. I gave him a half crown to drive on shore without them, which he did, and we left them to make their way out how they could; and a pretty pickle they did come out at last. Thus was their day's pleasure as well as their clothes all spoilt; and instead of dancing at the fair, and seeing all the sights, they were shivering in their wet clothes, and the laughing-stocks to all that saw them.

"Depend upon it, I did not leave them after they had crawled out to the beach. The fellow was, as you may suppose, as savage as a bull, and very saucy, so I took off my jacket that I might not dirty myself, and gave him a couple of black eyes and a bloody nose for his trouble; and as for Peggy, I pretended to be so sorry for her, and condoled her so much, that at last she flew at me like a tigress; and as I knew that there was no honour, and plenty of mud, to be gained by the conflict, I took to my heels and ran off to the fair, where I met some of my friends and told them what had happened, and then we had a very merry day of it, and I felt quite cured of my love; for, you see, Peggy looked so ugly and miserable when she was in the state I left her, that I had only to think of her as when I last saw her, and all my love was gone."

"Did you ever meet her again?

"I met her that very night; for, you see, she had gone to a cottage and taken off her clothes, having insisted upon her fancy

man going back to Portsmouth to fetch her others to go home in. He dared not refuse, so off he went in the pickle that he was; but he didn't come back again, for, you see, there was a warrant out against him for an affray at Bear Haven, in which a king's officer was killed; and after he had changed his own clothes, and was proceeding to get some for her from the Chequers, he was met by the constable who had the warrant, and carried off hand-cuffed to gaol, and afterwards he was transported; so she never saw him again. Well, Peggy, poor creature, had been waiting for him for hours, expecting his return; and it was past ten o'clock when I was coming down with some others, and saw her at the door of the cottage weeping. - 'Good night, Peggy, says I.'

"O, Philip, do be kind, do come to me; I'm frightened out of my life. I shall have to stay here all night.'

"So, you see, I did feel some little pity for her, and I went up to her, and she told me how she had sent him, and he had never come back again. The fact is,' says I, 'Peggy, you ar'n't smart enough for such a frenchified chap as he is. He don't like to be seen in your company. Come, get up, and I will see you home at all events; so I took charge of her, and saw her safe to her father's door.

"Won't you come in?' said she.

"No, thank you,' says I.

"Won't you forgive me, Philip ?' said she.

"Yes,' says I, 'I'll forgive you, for old acquaintance-sake, and for one more reason.'

"What's that?' says Peggy.

"Why,' says I, 'for the lesson which you've learnt me. I've been made a fool of once, and it's your fault; but if ever a woman makes a fool of me again, why then it's mine; and so, Peggy, good-by for ever.'

"So I turned away on my heel; and as I left the transport the next trip, I never saw her again."

"Well, Bramble," replied I, "I agree with you— and if ever a woman makes a fool of me again, it will be my fault. You know what's happened, so I don't mind saying so."

"Why, Tom, in your present humour, you think so; but all do not keep to the same way of thinking as I did, till it was too late to think about marrying; but still I do not think that I should have been happy as a single man, if it had not been for my falling in with Bessy. I should have been very lonely I expect, for I began to feel so. When you come to your own door, Tom, home looks cheerless if there is no bright eye to welcome you, and the older a man gets, the more he feels that he was not intended to live single. My yearning after something to love, and to love me, which is in our nature, was satisfied, first by having Bessy, and then by having you and I'm thankful."

"You might have married, and have been very unhappy."

"I might, and I might have been very happy, had I chosen a wife as a man should do."

"And how is that, pray, Bramble?"

"Why, Tom, I've often thought upon it. In the first place, look out for good temper: if you find that, you may be happy, even if your wife is a silly woman; assure yourself first of her temper, and then you must judge her by the way in which she does those duties which have fallen to her lot; for if a girl is a dutiful and affectionate daughter, there is little fear but that she will prove a loving and obedient wife. But I think we have had our spell here, Tom, and it's rather cold: rouse up one of those chaps, and tell him to come to the helm. I'll coil myself up and have a snoose till the morning, and do you do the same."

CHAP. XXXIX.

IN WHICH I RECEIVE A VERY SEVERE BLOW FROM A PARTY OR

PARTIES UNKNOWN.

THE day after this conversation we fell in with several vessels windbound at the entrance of the Channel. I took charge of

one, and the wind shifting to the S. W., and blowing strong, I carried her up to the Pool. As soon as I could leave her, I took a boat to go down to Greenwich, as I was most anxious to have a long conversation with Virginia. It was a dark squally night, with rain at intervals between the gusts of wind, and I was wet through long before I landed at the stairs, which was not until past eleven o'clock. I paid the waterman, and hastened up to my mother's house; being aware that they would either be all in bed, or about to retire. It so happened that I did not go the usual way, but passed by the house of Old Nanny; and as I walked by with a quick step, and was thinking of her and her misfortunes, I fell over something which, in the dark, I did not perceive, and which proved to be some iron railings, which the workmen who were fixing them up had carelessly left on the ground, previous to their returning to their work on the ensuing morning. Fortunately the spikes at the ends of them were from me, and I received no injury, except a severe blow on the shin; and, as I stopped a moment to rub it, I thought that I heard a cry from the direction of Old Nanny's house; but the wind was very high, and I was not certain. I stopped and listened, and it was repeated. I gained the door; it was so dark that I groped for the latch. The door was open, and when I went in I heard a gurgling kind of noise and a rustling in her chamber. "Who's there? What's this?" eried I; for I had a foreboding that something was wrong. I tumbled over some old iron, knocked down the range of keys, and made a terrible din, when, of a sudden, just as I had recovered my legs, I was thrown down again by somebody who rushed by me and darted out of the door. As the person rushed by me, I attempted to seize his arm, but I received a severe blow on the mouth, which cut my lip through, and at first I thought I had lost all my front teeth.

I rose up; I heard a heavy groaning; so, instead of pursuing the robber, I felt my way into Nanny's chamber. "Nanny," said I, "mother, what's the matter?" but there was no reply, except another groan. I knew where she kept her tinder-box and matches; I found them, and struck a light; and by the light of the match I perceived the candle and candlestick lying on the floor.

I picked it up, lighted it, and then turned to the bed; the flock mattress was above all, and the groans proceeded from beneath. I threw it off, and found Old Nanny still breathing, but in a state of great exhaustion, and quite insensible. By throwing water on her face, after some little while I brought her to her senses. The flaring of the candle reminded me that the shop door was open; I went and made it fast, and then spoke to her. It was a long while before I could obtain any rational answer. She continued to groan and cry at intervals, "Don't leave me, Jack, don't leave me." At last she fell into a sort of slumber from exhaustion, and in this state she remained for more than an hour. One thing was evident to me, which was, that the party, whoever it might be, had attempted to smother the poor old woman, and that in a few seconds more he would have perpetrated the deed.

At last Old Nanny roused up, and turning to me, said, "It's Jack, is it not? I thought so. Oh, my poor head! - What has happened?"

"That's what I want to know from you, mother," replied I; "but first I will tell you what I know of the business;" which I did to give her time to collect her thoughts.

"Yes," said she, " so it was. I was just in bed, and my candle was not out, when I heard a noise at the door, as if they were turning a key in it; and then a man entered; but he had something over his face, I thought, or he had blacked it. · What do you want?' cried I; I come for a light, old woman,' said he. I cried, Thieves! murder!' as loud as I could, and he ran up to me just as I was getting out of bed, and tried to smother me. I don't recollect any thing more till I heard your voice. Thank you, Jack, and God bless you; if you hadn't come to the assistance of a poor old wretch like me, I should have been dead by this time."

I felt that what she said was true, and I then asked her many questions, so as to lead to the discovery of the party. "How was

he dressed?" inquired I.

"I can't exactly say; but do you know, Jack, I fancied that he had a pensioner's coat on; indeed, I'm almost sure of it. I