The girl’s, heart of sympathy thumped, and her hero became a very minute object.  He had spoken previously of the making or not making a beast of himself; without inflicting a picture of the beast.  His words took shape now, and in consequence a little self-pity began to move.  It stirred to swell the great wave of pity for the lady, that was in her bosom.  ’Oh, he!’ she said, and extinguished the thought of him; and at once her under-lip was shivering, her eyes filled and poured.

Carinthia rose anxiously.  The girl dropped at her feet.  ’You have been so good to me to-day, my lady! so good to me to-day!  I can’t help it—­ I don’t often just for this moment; I’ve been excited.  Oh, he’s well, he will do; he’s nothing.  You say “poor child!” But I’m not; it’s only. excitement.  I do long to serve you the best I can.’

She stood up in obedience and had the arms of her young mistress pressing her.  Tears also were streaming from Carinthia’s eyes.  Heartily she thanked the girl for the excuse to cry.

They were two women.  On the road to Canleys, the coach conveying men spouted with the lusty anecdote, relieved of the interdict of a tyrannical sex.

CHAPTER XVIII

DOWN WHITECHAPEL WAY

Contention begets contention in a land of the pirate races.  Gigs were at high rival speed along the road from the battle-field to London.  They were the electrical wires of the time for an expectant population bursting to have report of so thundering an event as the encounter of two champion light weights, nursed and backed by a pair of gallant young noblemen, pick of the whole row of coronets above.  London panted gaping and the gigs flew with the meat to fill it.

Chumley Potts offered Ambrose Mallard fair odds that the neat little trap of the chief sporting journal, which had a reputation to maintain, would be over one or other of the bridges crossing the Thames first.  Mallard had been struck by the neat little trap of an impudent new and lower-priced journal, which had a reputation to gain.  He took the proffered odds, on the cry as of a cracker splitting.  Enormous difficulties in regard to the testimony and the verifications were discussed; they were overcome.  Potts was ready for any amount of trouble; Mallard the same.  There was clearly a race.  There would consequently be a record.  Visits to the offices of those papers, perhaps half a day at the south end of London or on Westminster bridge, examining witnesses, corner shopmen, watermen, and the like, would or should satisfactorily establish the disputed point.