"Yes, please," he replied, taking the seat beside her.

"I hope you will pardon my calling you a coward, I felt so
desperate, and it seemed to me for the moment that you were leaving
me." Adelaide's voice still had an excited tremor to it.

"I heard you say 'coward,'" said Percy, "but I didn't realize that
you referred to me. I saw the two brutes almost at the same time,
the one who attacked you and the other on the same side near the
horses' heads. I struck the one as best I could from my position,
and as he yelled and the horses reared, I ran up the slope ahead of
the team and came down at the other brute with a blow in the neck,
but I was surprised to find them both sprawling on the ground; and
under the street lights I saw that one of them had an eye
frightfully jammed. I am sure I struck neither of them in the eye."

Adelaide made no reply, but she knew now that the piercing, beastly
cry from the negro reaching for her was brought forth because the
heel of her shoe had entered the socket of the brute's eye.

"You're mighty nigh too late for supper, said grandma West, as they
stopped at the side gate. Adelaide hurried to her father who took
her in his arms as he saw how she trembled.

"My child!" he said.

Yes, child she was as she relaxed from the tension of the last hour
and related the experience of the evening.