“Dere’s a strange cat in de house—­wild cat too, I raly b’lieve;” and spying Tom at that moment beneath the table, she made another dash at him for a renewal of hostilities.

“Why that’s Tom,” exclaimed Robberts; “don’t you know your own cat?”

“Oh,” she replied, “dat ar isn’t Tom now, is it?  Why, what’s the matter wid him?”

Robberts then gave her a detailed account of the transactions of the previous night, in which account the share Charlie had taken was greatly enlarged and embellished; and the wrathful old woman was listening to the conclusion when Charlie entered.  Hardly had he got into the room, when, without any preliminary discussion, aunt Rachel—­to use her own words—­pitched into him to give him particular fits.  Now Charlie, not being disposed to receive “particular fits,” made some efforts to return the hard compliments that were being showered upon him, and the advice of Kinch providentially occurring to him—­respecting an attack upon the understanding of his venerable antagonist—­he brought his hard shoes down with great force upon her pet corn, and by this coup de pied completely demolished her.  With a loud scream she let him go; and sitting down upon the floor, declared herself lamed for life, beyond the possibility of recovery.  At this stage of the proceedings, Robberts came to the rescue of his aged coadjutor, and seized hold of Charlie, who forthwith commenced so brisk an attack upon his rheumatic shins, as to cause him to beat a hurried retreat, leaving Charlie sole master of the field.  The noise that these scuffles occasioned brought Mrs. Thomas into the kitchen, and Charlie was marched off by her into an upstairs room, where he was kept in “durance vile” until the arrival of his mother.

Mrs. Thomas had a strong liking for Charlie—­not as a boy, but as a footman.  He was active and intelligent, and until quite recently, extremely tractable and obedient; more than all, he was a very good-looking boy, and when dressed in the Thomas livery, presented a highly-respectable appearance.  She therefore determined to be magnanimous—­to look over past events, and to show a Christian and forgiving spirit towards his delinquencies.  She sent for Mrs. Ellis, with the intention of desiring her to use her maternal influence to induce him to apologize to aunt Rachel for his assault upon her corns, which apology Mrs. Thomas was willing to guarantee should be accepted; as for the indignities that had been inflicted on herself, she thought it most politic to regard them in the light of accidents, and to say as little about that part of the affair as possible.