but she was firmer; and in the end I
allowed her to lock them up in the tea-caddy, where her small stock of
ready money reposed.

I met Carr as we had arranged, and we had a very pleasant evening. Poor
Carr, who had seen the papers, had hardly expected that I should turn
up, knowing the catastrophe of the previous night had taken place at the
house I was going to, and was much relieved to hear that my sister had
moved, and had thus been spared all the horror of the event.

The dinner was good, the play better. I should have come home feeling
that I had enjoyed myself thoroughly, if it had not been for a little
adventure with our cab-driver that very nearly proved serious. We got a
hansom directly we came out of the theatre, but instead of taking us to
the direction we gave him, after we had driven for some distance I began
to make out that the cabman was going wrong, and Carr shouted to him to
stop; but thereupon he lashed up his horse, and away we went like the
wind, up one street, and down another, till I had lost all idea where we
were. Carr, who was young and active, did all he could; but the cabman,
who, I am afraid, must have been intoxicated, took not the slightest
notice, and continued driving madly, Heaven knows where. At last, after
getting into a very dingy neighborhood, we turned up a crooked dark
street, unlit by any lamp, a street so narrow that I thought every
moment the cab would be overturned. In another moment I saw two men rush
out of a door-way. One seized the horse, which was much blown by this
time, and brought it violently to a stand-still, while the other flew at
the cab, and catching Carr by the collar, proceeded to drag him out by
main force. I suppose Carr did his best, but being only an American, he
certainly made a very poor fight of it; and while I was laying into the
man who had got hold of him, I was suddenly caught by the legs myself
from the other side of the cab. I turned on my assailant, saw a heavy
stick levelled at me, caught at it, missed it, beheld a series of
fireworks, and remembered nothing more.

* * * * *

The first thing I heard on beginning to come to myself was a series of
subdued but evidently heart-felt oaths; and I became sensible of an airy
feeling, unpleasant in the extreme, proceeding from an open condition of
coat and waistcoat quite unsuited to the time of year. A low chorus of
muffled whispering was going on round me. As I groane