she spent her time very disagreeably at home, among characters
which must be shockingly interesting, professed a desire of removing her
into some other sphere, where she could live with more tranquility and
satisfaction.

She objected to this proposal as an expedient that would infallibly
subject her to the implacable resentment of her mother, whose favour and
affection she at present enjoyed but in a very inconsiderable degree;
and they had canvassed divers schemes of corresponding for the future,
when the voice of Mrs. Pickle was heard at the door. Miss Julia (that
was the young lady's name), finding herself betrayed, was seized with
a violent agitation of fear; and Peregrine scarce had time to encourage
her with a promise of protection, before the door of the apartment being
flung open, this irreconcilable parent rushed in, and, with a furious
aspect, flew directly at her trembling daughter, when, the son
interposing, received the first discharge of her fury.

Her eyes gleamed with all the rage of indignation, which choked up her
utterance, and seemed to convulse her whole frame: she twisted her left
hand in his hair, and with the other buffeted him about the face till
the blood gushed from his nostrils and mouth; while he defended his
sister from the cruelty of Gam, who assaulted her from another quarter,
seeing his brother engaged. This attack lasted several minutes with
great violence, till at length Peregrine, finding himself in danger of
being overpowered if he should remain any longer on the defensive, laid
his brother on his back; then he disentangled his mother's hand from his
own hair, and, having pushed her gently out of the room, bolted the door
on the inside; finally, turning to Gam, he threw him out at the window,
among a parcel of hogs that fed under it. By this time Julia was almost
quite distracted with terror: she knew she had offended beyond all hope
of forgiveness, and from that moment considered herself as an exile from
her father's house: in vain did her brother strive to console her
with fresh protestations of love and protection; she counted herself
extremely miserable in being obliged to endure the eternal resentment
of a parent with whom she had hitherto lived; and dreaded the censure of
the world, which, from her mother's misrepresentation, she was sensible
would condemn her unheard. That she might not, however, neglect any
means in her power of averting this storm, she resolved to appease,