He had heretofore contented himself with, at most, occasionally shaking
his stick at his assailants; but this day the black bottle had
imparted, it may be, a little more fire than ordinary to his blood; and
besides, an unlucky urchin happened to take particularly good aim with
a mud ball, which took effect right in the midst of the Doctor's bushy
beard, and, being of a soft consistency, forthwith became incorporated
with it. At this intolerable provocation the grim Doctor pursued the
little villain, amid a shower of similar missiles from the boy's
playmates, caught him as he was escaping into a back yard, dragged him
into the middle of the street, and, with his stick, proceeded to give
him his merited chastisement.

But, hereupon, it was astonishing how sudden commotion flashed up like
gunpowder along the street, which, except for the petty shrieks and
laughter of a few children, was just before so quiet. Forth out of
every window in those dusky, mean wooden houses were thrust heads of
women old and young; forth out of every door and other avenue, and as
if they started up from the middle of the street, or out of the unpaved
sidewalks, rushed fierce avenging forms, threatening at full yell to
take vengeance on the grim Doctor; who still, with that fierce dark
face of his,--his muddy beard all flying abroad, dirty and foul, his
hat fallen off, his red eyes flashing fire,--was belaboring the poor
hinder end of the unhappy urchin, paying off upon that one part of the
boy's frame the whole score which he had to settle with the rude boys
of the town; giving him at once the whole whipping which he had
deserved every day of his life, and not a stroke of which he had yet
received. Need enough there was, no doubt, that somebody should
interfere with such grim and immitigable justice; and certainly the
interference was prompt, and promised to be effectual.