This communication produced noise and exclamation;
clouds of smoke rolled upwards into the apartment, and terror sat
on every brow; when Peregrine, seeing no prospect of retreating
by the door, opened one of the windows, and fairly leaped into the
street, where he found a crowd of people assembled to contribute
their assistance in extinguishing the flames. Several members of
the college followed his example, and happily accomplished their
escape. The chairman himself, being unwilling to use the same
expedient, stood trembling on the brink of descent, dubious of his
own agility, and dreading the consequence of such a leap, when a
chair happening to pass, he laid hold on the opportunity, and by
an exertion of his muscles, pitched upon the top of the carriage,
which was immediately overturned in the kennel, to the grievous
annoyance of the fare, which happened to be a certain effeminate
beau, in full dress, on his way to a private assembly.
This phantom hearing the noise overhead, and feeling the shock of
being overthrown at the same time, thought that some whole tenement
had fallen upon the chair, and, in the terror of being crushed to
pieces, uttered a scream, which the populace supposed to proceed
from the mouth of a woman; and therefore went to his assistance,
while the chairmen, instead of ministering to his occasions, no
sooner recollected themselves, than they ran in pursuit of their
overthrower, who, being accustomed to escape from bailiffs, dived
into a dark alley, and, vanishing in a trice, was not visible to
any living soul, until he appeared next day on Tower-hill.
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