kyl was gone! His little portmanteau, and his still
smaller carpet-bag, his hat-case, his canes--every article of his
_personnel_--were away; and while Grounsell stood cursing the "little
rascal," he himself was pleasantly seated opposite Lady Hester and Kate
in the travelling-carriage, and convulsing them with laughter at his
admirable imitation of the poor doctor.

Great as was Grounsel's anger at this trickery, it was still greater
when he discovered that he had been locked in. He quite forgot the
course of time passed in his meditations, and could not believe it
possible that there was sufficient interval to have effected all these
arrangements so speedily.

Too indignant to brook delay, he dashed his foot through the door, and
passed out The noise at once summoned the people of the house to the
spot, and, to Grounsell's surprise, the police officer amongst them,
who, in all the pomp of office, now barred the passage with a drawn
sword.

[Illustration: 032]

"What is it?--what's this?" cried he, in astonishment.

"Effraction by force in case of debt is punishable by the 127th
section of the 'Code,'" said a dirty little man, who, with the air of a
shoeblack, was still a leading member of the Florence "Bar."

"I owe nothing here,----not a farthing, sir; let me pass," cried
Grounsell.

"'Fathers for sons of nonage or over that period, domiciliated in the
same house,'" began the Advocate, reading out of a volune in his hand,
"'are also responsible.'"

"What balderdash, sir! I have no son; I never was married in my life;
and as for this Mr. Jekyl, if you mean to father him on me, I'll resist
to the last drop of my blood."

"'Denunciation and menace, with show of arms or without,'" began the
lawyer again, "'are punishable by fine and imprisonment.'"

Grounsell was now so worked up by fury that he attempted to force a
passage by main strength; but a general brandishing of knives by all
the family, from seven years of age upwards, warned him that the attempt
might be too serious, while a wild chorus of abusive language arose from
various sympathizers who poured in from the street to witness the scene.

A father who would not pay for his own son! an "assassin," who had no
bowels for his kindred; a "Birbante," a "Briccone," and a dozen similar
epithets, rattled on him like hail, till Grounsell, supposing that the
"bite" might be in proportion to the "bark," retreated into a small
chamber, and proposed terms of a