"No, mem; neither, mem; but ordered it at eight, mem, to go to the Grange, to fetch the doctor, mem." "What, Mr Brande?" said Mrs Lower, taking a little more interest in the matter. "No, mem; old Hardon, mem," said Charles. "But he never goes to the Grange, Charles; it's all a mistake." "No, mem, not a bit," exclaimed Charles. "Jem's in the yard now, mem, just come back from Hardon's, and he helped the doctor in and out, too; and Mrs Hardon coming flying down in her dressing-gownd as soon as they got him down home, and a-going on dreadful, and saying it was all a judgment for not forgiving Miss Hagniss; and the doctor taking three men to carry him, being heavy and cold, and almost dead; and Mr Brande's with him, mem, they say now." Charles paused for breath. "But what was it all? what does it mean?" cried Mrs Lower, stirring her tea with her knife. "Why, mem, that's what I'm a-telling you: it's a burglary, you know," said Charles excitedly. "The Grange attacked by robbers, and the doctor tied in a chair with the clothes-line, and laid down on his back, as Mr Keening and Doctor Brande found him, with a knife stuck in his throat." "But not dead?" exclaimed Mrs Lower. "O, no, mem, only stuck so as he couldn't speak." "And where was Squire Octy?" cried Mrs Lower, quite forgetting the remains of her sweetbread. "Why, didn't I tell you, mem? Tied down in another chair, and Mrs Berry, the housekeeper, tied down in her bed, with a blanket over her head, and she got loose at six o'clock this morning, and came over and alarmed the town. Says she'll never go back any more. Gang of ten ruffians with black faces, and the police are on their tract." "But about Squire Octy, Charles. How's he?" "Not hurt a mossle, mem, so they says. Jem says that he heard as Mr Keening cut the rope when he went in, and the old gentleman got up and shook hisself, and then took a spoonful of loddlum, and he was all right again directly, and stood laughing at his brother, the doctor, mem, who was strange and bad." "And no one knew anything about it?" said Mrs Lower. "Not a word, mem," cried Charles, "and it's a mercy as we weren't all murdered, I'm sure. And Jem says he saw old Squire Octy laugh when they lifted the doctor into the fly, while he'd got no chain, nor studs, nor rings, as you know he wears a lot of them things, mem." Mrs Lower nodded. "And I hear as all the plate's gone; and they've had the wine, and I don't know what, mem; but what caps all, mem, was for the squire, old Mr Octy, mem, to be quite laughing like, and Jem says he looks more like an old ghost than anything, mem, with a black-velvet cap and a dressin-gownd."