rd and a--?"

He did not finish the sentence, for the woman ran at him like a savage,
knife in hand. He bounded back, flinging his arms about wildly, and
struck her with his staff sharply across the forehead. The woman went
down instantly. A lucky blow was it for Hayes and her: it saved him from
death, perhaps, and her from murder.

All this scene--a very important one of our drama--might have been
described at much greater length; but, in truth, the author has a
natural horror of dwelling too long upon such hideous spectacles: nor
would the reader be much edified by a full and accurate knowledge of
what took place. The quarrel, however, though not more violent than many
that had previously taken place between Hayes and his wife, was about to
cause vast changes in the condition of this unhappy pair.

Hayes was at the first moment of his victory very much alarmed;
he feared that he had killed the woman; and Wood started up rather
anxiously too, with the same fancy. But she soon began to recover. Water
was brought; her head was raised and bound up; and in a short time
Mrs. Catherine gave vent to a copious fit of tears, which relieved her
somewhat. These did not affect Hayes much--they rather pleased him, for
he saw he had got the better; and although Cat fiercely turned upon him
when he made some small attempt towards reconciliation, he did not heed
her anger, but smiled and winked in a self-satisfied way at Wood. The
coward was quite proud of his victory; and finding Catherine asleep, or
apparently so, when he followed her to bed, speedily gave himself up to
slumber too, and had some pleasant dreams to his portion.

Mr. Wood also went sniggering and happy upstairs to his chamber. The
quarrel had been a real treat to him; it excited the old man--tickled
him into good-humour; and he promised himself a rare continuation of
the fun when Tom should be made acquainted with the circumstances of
the dispute. As for his Excellency the Count, the ride from Marylebone
Gardens, and a tender squeeze of the hand, which Catherine permitted
to him on parting, had so inflamed the passions of the nobleman, that,
after sleeping for nine hours, and taking his chocolate as usual the
next morning, he actually delayed to read the newspaper, and kept
waiting a toy-shop lady from Cornhill (with the sweetest bargain of
Mechlin lace), in order to discourse to his chaplain on the charms of
Mrs. Hayes.

She, poor thing, never closed her lids, e