it for Fledgeby's relief: who, gasping, spluttering, and rattling in his
throat betweenwhiles, drank some water, and laid his head faintly on her
arm.

'Oh my eye!' cried Fledgeby, struggling anew. 'It's salt and snuff. It's
up my nose, and down my throat, and in my wind-pipe. Ugh! Ow! Ow! Ow!
Ah--h--h--h!' And here, crowing fearfully, with his eyes starting out of
his head, appeared to be contending with every mortal disease incidental
to poultry.

'And Oh my Eye, I'm so sore!' cried Fledgeby, starting, over on his
back, in a spasmodic way that caused the dressmaker to retreat to the
wall. 'Oh I smart so! Do put something to my back and arms, and legs and
shoulders. Ugh! It's down my throat again and can't come up. Ow! Ow! Ow!
Ah--h--h--h! Oh I smart so!' Here Mr Fledgeby bounded up, and bounded
down, and went rolling over and over again.

The dolls' dressmaker looked on until he rolled himself into a corner
with his Turkish slippers uppermost, and then, resolving in the first
place to address her ministration to the salt and snuff, gave him more
water and slapped his back. But, the latter application was by no means
a success, causing Mr Fledgeby to scream, and to cry out, 'Oh my eye!
don't slap me! I'm covered with weales and I smart so!'

However, he gradually ceased to choke and crow, saving at intervals,
and Miss Jenny got him into an easy-chair: where, with his eyes red and
watery, with his features swollen, and with some half-dozen livid bars
across his face, he presented a most rueful sight.

'What ever possessed you to take salt and snuff, young man?' inquired
Miss Jenny.

'I didn't take it,' the dismal youth replied. 'It was crammed into my
mouth.'

'Who crammed it?' asked Miss Jenny.

'He did,' answered Fledgeby. 'The assassin. Lammle. He rubbed it into
my mouth and up my nose and down my throat--Ow! Ow! Ow! Ah--h--h--h!
Ugh!--to prevent my crying out, and then cruelly assaulted me.'

'With this?' asked Miss Jenny, showing the pieces of cane.

'That's the weapon,' said Fledgeby, eyeing it with the air of an
acquaintance. 'He broke it over me. Oh I smart so! How did you come by
it?'

'When he ran down stairs and joined the lady he had left in the hall
with his hat'--Miss Jenny began.

'Oh!' groaned Mr Fledgeby, writhing, 'she was holding his hat, was she?
I might have known she was in it.'

'When he came down stairs and joined the lady who wouldn't let me come
up, he gave me the pieces for