ur blood once, I will have your heart's blood now.'

'Take down his words, constables: swear the peace against him!' screamed
the little lawyer, from behind his tipstaffs.

'I would not sully my sword with the blood of such a ruffian,' cried my
Lord, relying on the same doughty protection. 'If the scoundrel remains
in London another day, he will be seized as a common swindler.' And this
threat indeed made me wince; for I knew that there were scores of writs
out against me in town, and that once in prison my case was hopeless.

'Where's the man will seize me!' shouted I, drawing my sword, and
placing my back to the door. 'Let the scoundrel come. You--you cowardly
braggart, come first, if you have the soul of a man!'

'We're not going to seize you!' said the lawyer; my Ladyship, her aunt,
and a division of the bailiffs moving off as he spoke. 'My dear sir, we
don't wish to seize you: we will give you a handsome sum to leave the
country; only leave her Ladyship in peace!'

'And the country will be well rid of such a villain!' says my Lord,
retreating too, and not sorry to get out of my reach: and the scoundrel
of a lawyer followed him, leaving me in possession of the apartment, and
in company of the bullies from the police-office, who were all armed to
the teeth. I was no longer the man I was at twenty, when I should have
charged the ruffians sword in hand, and have sent at least one of them
to his account. I was broken in spirit; regularly caught in the toils:
utterly baffled and beaten by that woman. Was she relenting at the door,
when she paused and begged me turn back? Had she not a lingering love
for me still? Her conduct showed it, as I came to reflect on it. It was
my only chance now left in the world, so I put down my sword upon the
lawyer's desk.

'Gentlemen,' said I, 'I shall use no violence; you may tell Mr. Tapewell
I am quite ready to speak with him when he is at leisure!' and I sat
down and folded my arms quite peaceably. What a change from the Barry
Lyndon of old days! but, as I have read in an old book about Hannibal
the Carthaginian general, when he invaded the Romans, his troops, which
were the most gallant in the world, and carried all before them, went
into cantonments in some city where they were so sated with the
luxuries and pleasures of life, that they were easily beaten in the next
campaign. It was so with me now. My strength of mind and body were no
longer those of the brave youth who shot hi