A day of holiday at Hampstead, after the lowering of the poor woman’s bones into earth, had been followed by a descent upon London; and at night he had found himself in the immediate neighbourhood of a public house, noted for sparring exhibitions and instructions on the first floor; and he was melancholy, unable quite to disperse ‘the ravens’ flocking to us on such days:  though, if we ask why we have to go out of the world, there is a corresponding inquiry, of what good was our coming into it; and unless we are doing good work for our country, the answer is not satisfactory—­except, that we are as well gone.  Thinking which, he was accosted by a young woman:  perfectly respectable, in every way:  who inquired if he had seen a young man enter the door.  She described him, and reviled the temptations of those houses; and ultimately, as she insisted upon going in to look for the young man and use her persuasions to withdraw him from ‘that snare of Satan,’ he had accompanied her, and he had gone upstairs and brought the young man down.  But friends, or the acquaintances they call friends, were with him, and they were ‘in drink,’ and abused the young woman; and she had her hand on the young man’s arm, quoting Scripture.  Sad to relate of men bearing the name of Englishmen—­ and it was hardly much better if they pleaded intoxication!—­they were not content to tear the young man from her grasp, they hustled her, pushed her out, dragged her in the street.

‘It became me to step to her defence:  she was meek,’ said Skepsey.  ’She had a great opinion of the efficacy of quotations from Scripture; she did not recriminate.  I was able to release her and the young man she protected, on condition of my going upstairs to give a display of my proficiency.  I had assured them, that the poor fellows who stood against me were not a proper match.  And of course, they jeered, but they had the evidence, on the pavement.  So I went up with them.  I was heavily oppressed, I wanted relief, I put on the gloves.  He was a bigger man; they laughed at the little one.  I told them, it depended upon a knowledge of first principles, and the power to apply them.  I will not boast, my lady:  my junior by ten years, the man went down; he went down a second time; and the men seemed surprised; I told them, it was nothing but first principles put into action.  I mention the incident, for the extreme relief it afforded me at the close of a dark day.’

‘So you cured your grief !’ said Lady Grace; and Skepsey made way for his master.

Victor’s festival-lights were kindled, beholding her; cressets on the window-sill, lamps inside.

‘Am I so welcome?’ There was a pull of emotion at her smile.  ’What with your little factotum and you, we are flattered to perdition when we come here.  He has been proposing, by suggestion, like a Court-physician, the putting on of his boxing-gloves, for the consolation of the widowed:—­ meant most kindly! and it’s a thousand pities women haven’t their padded gloves.’