when the violence of the
storm had somewhat abated, on concluding a third perusal of the
death-warrant to all his hopes, which he held in his hand, his eye lit
upon the strange word which was intended to designate his friend
Huckaback; and it instantly changed both the kind of his feelings, and
the current in which they had been rushing. Grief became rage; and the
stream foamed in quite a new direction--namely, towards Huckaback. That
accursed fellow he considered to be the sole cause of the direful
disaster which had befallen him. He utterly lost sight of one
circumstance, which one might have imagined likely to have occurred to
his thoughts at such a time--viz. his own offensive and insolent
behavior over-night to Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap. Yet so it
was:--yes, upon the devoted (but unconscious) head of Huckaback, was the
lightning rage of Tittlebat Titmouse doomed to descend. The fire that
was thus quickly kindled within, soon dried up the source of his tears.
He crammed the letter into his pocket, and started off at once in the
direction of Leicester Square, breathing rage at every step--_viresque
acquirens eundo_. His hands kept convulsively clinching together as he
pelted along. Hotter and hotter became his rage as he neared the
residence of Huckaback. When he had reached it, he sprang up-stairs;
knocked at his _quondam_ friend's door; and on the instant of its
being--doubtless somewhat surprisedly--opened by Huckaback, who was
undressing, Titmouse sprang towards him, let fly a goodly number of
violent blows upon his face and breast--and down fell Huckaback upon the
bed behind him, insensible, and bleeding profusely from his nose.

"There! there!"--gasped Titmouse, breathless and exhausted, discharging
a volley of oaths and opprobrious epithets at the victim of his fury.
"Do it again! You will, won't you? _You'll_ go--and meddle again in
other people's--you---- cu-cu-cursed officious"--but his rage was
spent--the paroxysm was over; the silent and bleeding figure of
Huckaback was before his eyes; and he gazed at him, terror-stricken.
What had he done! He sank down on the bed beside Huckaback--then started
up, wringing his hands, and staring at him in an ecstasy of remorse and
fright. It was rather singular that the noise of such an assault should
have roused no one to inquire into it; but so it was. Frightened almost
out of his bewildered senses, he closed and bolted the door; and
addressed himself, as well a