Oh he! He
likes to wound a woman's feelings he do, and to chuck anything in her
face, he do--he likes to wind a woman up and to wound her down." (Mrs
Jupp pronounced "wound" as though it rhymed to "sound.") "It's a
gentleman's place to soothe a woman, but he, he'd like to tear her hair
out by handfuls. Why, he told me to my face that I was a-getting old;
old indeed! there's not a woman in London knows my age except Mrs Davis
down in the Old Kent Road, and beyond a haricot vein in one of my legs
I'm as young as ever I was. Old indeed! There's many a good tune played
on an old fiddle. I hate his nasty insinuendos."
Even if I had wanted to stop her, I could not have done so. She said a
great deal more than I have given above. I have left out much because I
could not remember it, but still more because it was really impossible
for me to print it.
When we got to the police station I found Towneley and Ernest already
there. The charge was one of assault, but not aggravated by serious
violence. Even so, however, it was lamentable enough, and we both saw
that our young friend would have to pay dearly for his inexperience. We
tried to bail him out for the night, but the Inspector would not accept
bail, so we were forced to leave him.
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