I do not remember all I said to the portly, well-fed, swaggering cockney
upstart; but there was so much in it uncomplimentary to himself and his
driving, that the crowd already assembled cheered, as all crowds will
cheer profane and personal language; and he was glad enough to gather up
his reins and touch his horses, and trot off, without having first gone
through the ceremony of asking whether the girl he had so nearly driven
over was living or dead.
Meantime she had been carried into the nearest shop, whither I
followed her.
I do not know why all the people standing about imagined me to be her
brother, but they certainly did so, and, under that impression, made way
for me to enter the parlour behind the shop, where I found my poor
beauty sitting, faint and frightened and draggled, whilst the woman of
the house was trying to wipe the mud off her dress, and endeavouring to
persuade her to swallow some wine-and-water.
As I entered, she lifted her eyes to mine, and said, "Thank you, sir.
I trust you have not got hurt yourself," so frankly and so sweetly
that the small amount of heart her face had left me passed into her
keeping at once.
"Are you much hurt?" I replied by asking.
"My arm is, a little," she answered. "If I could only get home! Oh! I
wish I were at home.
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