Eustace himself
knew best what to do, and sat down on the step leaning against Sir
Francis, so as not to add to the danger.
The fray had been undisturbed. In that delectable city people held
aloof from such things instead of stopping them, but a doctor
suddenly appeared on the scene, 'attracted like a vulture,' as Sir
Francis said; and they had some ado to prevent him from unbuttoning
Eustace's doublet to search for a wound before they could make him
understand what had really happened. They obtained a fiacre, and
Eustace was placed in it. In this condition they brought him home
and put him to bed, telling us poor women only that he had interfered
in a street fray and over-exerted himself. It was shock enough for
us to find all the improvements of a whole year overthrown, as he lay
white and still, not daring to speak.
They had agreed on the way home to keep us in ignorance, or at least
to let us think that the attack had been made by strangers, simply
because of his connection with the Big Beard. Meg's Nicolas was
first to tell us that it was M. Darpent whom they had rescued, and
that he had called at the porter's lodge on his way home to inquire
for M. le Baron, bruised all over, and evidently seriously hurt. And
while still trying to disbelieve this, another report arrived through
the maidservants that M. de Solivet and d'Aubepine had soundly
cudgeled M. Darpent, and that M. le Baron and M.
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