“Excuse my language, Miss Eastman,” he said, “but I kind o’ forgot you were in here. Now, Mr. Harrington,” he said, hurriedly turning from her with a look of trouble, “I don’t know how we’ll get this curse out of here. I’m afeard the folks’ll fly at him when they see him. The women folks’ll be the worst to manage. Hold on there!” he shouted, going to the door, which was straining with the outside pressure, and resounding with kicks and blows, “I’ll be out in a minute. The women folks, you see,” he resumed, “they’ll have red pepper to throw, just as like as not. It’ll be skittish business, I tell you.” Harrington lifted Roux, who was recovering from his swoon, from the floor, carried him into the other room, laid him on the bed, and returned. “Listen, Brown,” he said, quickly. “It’s a hard matter, but you must use all your influence to keep the people still. Unless you can persuade them to disperse, there’s only one thing to be done. You and I must take him between us, and go through the crowd.” Lafitte seemed to catch what was going on, and abjectly slinking near Harrington, gasped out that he had a carriage waiting for him round the corner, if they could only get him to that. Harrington instantly communicated this information to Brown. “Mr. Brown,” said Muriel, “suppose you let in twenty or thirty of the men outside for a body-guard. Then we can take him in the centre. How will that do?” “That’s a good idea,” replied Brown. “Mr. Harrington, come and help me to stand the rush.” He moved to the door accompanied by Harrington. “Hallo, there!” roared Brown. “Stand back. I’m going to open the door.” There was a sudden retrograde rush, with a swarming clamor of voices, and sliding back the bolt, Brown flung the door open, and with Harrington by his side, sprang upon the threshold. “Back, now!” he shouted. “See here, I want some of you in here. Come in as I call you. The rest wait.” With his eye roving over the crowd, he called about thirty names in succession, the men passing in between him and Harrington, as they were summoned. Toward the end of the roll-call, Tugmutton appeared, and darted into the room between the legs of Harrington, who tried to stop him. “Now, then, gentlemen,” said Brown, in his grandiose way, addressing the gaping crowd of negroes and mulattoes outside, “you wait there, and we’ll be out soon.” With that, he and Harrington withdrew, bolting the door again. The first thing Harrington saw, was the infuriated Tugmutton lightly prancing around the wincing and crouching slaveholder, and punching and butting him without mercy, and in perfect silence. Nothing could have more completely indicated Lafitte’s utter prostration of spirit than his submission to the pummelling he was receiving. Muriel was in the inner room, bending over Roux, and the body of negroes, all grinning, were the only witnesses, besides Harrington and Brown, of this extraordinary transaction. “Hallo there, Charles!” cried Harrington, “stop that!”