Courtship -- Fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction
"Death and the devil! Pox confound you!" said lord Martin, and endeavoured
to draw a pistol from his pocket. But the unsuccessful pass he had made
had thrown him somewhat off his bias, and though he had employed more than
one effort, he had not been able to recover himself. At this instant, Mr.
Godfrey seized him by the collar, and with a sudden-whirl, threw him into
the middle of the road. "Fire and"--his lordship had not time to finish
his exclamation. The part of the road in which he fell was exceeding
dirty. The workmen had been employed the preceding day, in scraping the
mud together into a heap against the bank, and his lordship, unable to
overcome the velocity with which he trundled along, rolled into the midst
of it in an instant. He was entirely lost in this soft receptacle. The
colour of his purple coat, and his lily white _toupèe_, could no
longer be distinguished.
The coachman, perceiving the disaster of his lord, now leaped from the
box. Mr. Godfrey had scarcely had time to reduce this new antagonist to a
state of inactivity, before the footman, upon whom he had first displayed
his prowess, began to discover some signs of life. He might have been yet
overpowered in spite of all his valour and presence of mind, if the house
of his brother-in-law, had not fortunately been so near, that the shrieks
of Delia, and the altercation of her ravishers reached it. The honest
farmer was at the window in a moment, and perceiving that his brother was
engaged in the affray, he huddled on his clothes with all expedition, and
now appeared in the highway.
The victory was immediately decided. The footman perceiving this new
reinforcement, did not dare to act upon the offensive, and Mr. Godfrey
mounted into the chariot to assist our heroine. He now first perceived
that her hands were manacled. From this restraint however, he suddenly
disengaged her, and taking her in his arms out of the carriage, he
delivered her to his sister, who advanced at this moment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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