ion
first shouted and then came to a sudden stop. The captain, putting his
head out at the window, saw by the faint light of a young moon, going
down in the remains of sunset, that he was jumping off his horse,
growling and swearing, but under his breath, when the captain sprang
out. A woman was lying across the road, and had barely escaped being
run over. Mary and Dora were both out in a moment.

"Poor thing, poor thing! Is it a fit? She is quite insensible."

"A fit of a certain kind," said the captain, who was dragging her into
the hedge, while the post-boy held the horses. "Go back, Mary, Dora!"

"It is Nanny Barton!" said Dora in horror.

Mary took down one of the carriage lamps and held it to the face. "Yes,
it is!" said she. "Can't we take her home, or do anything?"

"No, no; nonsense!" said Edmund. "Don't come near, don't touch her.
Don't you see, she is simply dead drunk."

"But we can't leave her here."

"The best thing to do! Yes, it is; but we will stop at the `Fox and
Hounds,' if that will satisfy you, and send some one out to see after
her."

They were obliged to be satisfied, for the tones were authoritative, and
they had to accept his assurance that the woman was in no state for them
to meddle with. She would come to no harm, he said, when he had put her
on the bank, and it was only to pacify them that he caused the postilion
to stop at the public-house, whence roaring, singing, and shouts
proceeded. The landlord came out, supposing it was some new arrival,
and when Captain Carbonel jumped out, and, speaking severely, desired
that some one would go to look after the woman, who was lying in the
road, and whom the horses had almost run over, he answered as if he had
been doing the most natural and correct thing in the world.

"Yes, sir; I had just sent her home. They had been treating of her, and
she had had a drop too much. She wasn't in a proper state."

"Proper state! No! I should think not! It is a regular shame and
disgrace that you should encourage such goings on! Where's the woman's
husband? Has no one got the humanity to come and take her home?"

Oldfellow called gruffly to some of the troop, who came reeling out to
the door, and told them it was time to be off, and that some one, "You
Tirzah had best see to that there Barton 'oman."

Captain Carbonel wished to keep his ladies from the sight, but they were
watching eagerly, and could not help seeing that it was Tirza