glimpse of the dark eyelash, almost resting on her flushed
cheek, and of the downcast sparkling eye it shaded? Joe thought there
was--and he is not likely to have been mistaken; for there were not many
eyes like Dolly's, that's the truth.

The outer room through which they had to pass, was full of men; among
them, Mr Dennis in safe keeping; and there, had been since yesterday,
lying in hiding behind a wooden screen which was now thrown down,
Simon Tappertit, the recreant 'prentice, burnt and bruised, and with a
gun-shot wound in his body; and his legs--his perfect legs, the pride
and glory of his life, the comfort of his existence--crushed into
shapeless ugliness. Wondering no longer at the moans they had heard,
Dolly kept closer to her father, and shuddered at the sight; but neither
bruises, burns, nor gun-shot wound, nor all the torture of his shattered
limbs, sent half so keen a pang to Simon's breast, as Dolly passing out,
with Joe for her preserver.

A coach was ready at the door, and Dolly found herself safe and whole
inside, between her father and mother, with Emma Haredale and her uncle,
quite real, sitting opposite. But there was no Joe, no Edward; and they
had said nothing. They had only bowed once, and kept at a distance. Dear
heart! what a long way it was to the Black Lion!

Chapter 72

The Black Lion was so far off, and occupied such a length of time in the
getting at, that notwithstanding the strong presumptive evidence she had
about her of the late events being real and of actual occurrence, Dolly
could not divest herself of the belief that she must be in a dream which
was lasting all night. Nor was she quite certain that she saw and heard
with her own proper senses, even when the coach, in the fulness of time,
stopped at the Black Lion, and the host of that tavern approached in a
gush of cheerful light to help them to dismount, and give them hearty
welcome.

There too, at the coach door, one on one side, one upon the other, were
already Edward Chester and Joe Willet, who must have followed in another
coach: and this was such a strange and unaccountable proceeding, that
Dolly was the more inclined to favour the idea of her being fast asleep.
But when Mr Willet appeared--old John himself--so heavy-headed and
obstinate, and with such a double chin as the liveliest imagination
could never in its boldest flights have conjured up in all its vast
proportions--then she stood corrected, and unwillingly