They sat thus till it was getting near dusk, when he recollected
himself, and the next thing was that he must somehow hide her, and then
bring her home.

He waited till it was quite dark that he might the better bring her into
her own house without being seen, and buttoned her inside his topcoat,
nay, even in his passion tearing open his waistcoat and his shirt that
she might lie the closer to his heart. For when we are overcome with
the greatest sorrow we act not like men or women but like children
whose comfort in all their troubles is to press themselves against their
mother's breast, or if she be not there to hold each other tight in one
another's arms.

When it was dark he brought her in with infinite precautions, yet not
without the dogs scenting her after which nothing could moderate their
clamour.

Having got her into the house, the next thing he thought of was to hide
her from the servants. He carried her to the bedroom in his arms and
then went downstairs again.

Mr. Tebrick had three servants living in the house, the cook, the
parlour-maid, and an old woman who had been his wife's nurse. Besides
these women there was a groom or a gardener (whichever you choose to
call him), who was a single man and so lived out, lodging with a
labouring family about half a mile away.

Mr. Tebrick going downstairs pitched upon the parlour-maid.

"Janet," says he, "Mrs. Tebrick and I have had some bad news, and Mrs.