The young soldier entered accordingly,
and, posting, himself between Mrs. Pickle and the door, gave
the signal to his friend, who, lifting up his sister in his arms,
carried her safe without the clutches of this she-dragon, while
Pipes, with his cudgel, kept young master at bay.
The mother, being thus deprived of her prey, sprang upon Gauntlet
like a lioness robbed of her whelps; and he must have suffered
sorely in the flesh, had he not prevented her mischievous intent
by seizing both her wrists, and so keeping her at due distance. In
attempting to disengage herself from his grasp, she struggled with
such exertion, and suffered such agony of passion at the same time,
that she actually fell into a severe fit, during which she was put
to bed, and the confederates retired without further molestation.
In the mean time, Peregrine was not a little perplexed about the
disposal of his sister, whom he had rescued. He could not endure the
thoughts of saddling the commodore with a new expense; and he was
afraid of undertaking the charge of Julia, without his benefactor's
advice and direction: for the present, however, he carried her
to the house of a gentleman in the neighbourhood, whose lady was
her godmother, where she was received with great tenderness and
condolence; and he purposed to inquire for some creditable house,
where she might be genteelly boarded in his absence; resolving
to maintain her from the savings of his own allowance, which he
thought might very well bear such reduction.
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