He was just in time, for yells of "Psalm-singing
old hypocrite!" were already in the air, and the fence was being
stormed. George administered to the foremost ruffian a blow on the
shoulder which felled him on the path outside, and then, standing on
the low brick wall on which the railings rested, showed his rosette,
brandished his club, and made some kind of inarticulate
expostulation, which, happily for him and Mr. Broad, was received
with cheers. Whether taken by itself it would have been effectual or
not cannot be said, for just at that moment a more powerful auxiliary
appeared. When the "Angel" was abandoned the imprisoned garrison,
amongst whom were one or two county magistrates, held a brief
consultation. They organised their force and marched out, the well-
to-do folk in front and abreast, armed with bludgeons, the "Angel"
dependents--and about fifty more of the refugees coming in the rear,
every garden and stable weapon of offence being distributed amongst
them. They had the advantage, of course, of being sober. They
advanced at a run, and their tramp was heard just as George was
beginning to try the effect of his eloquence. Panic and scattering
flight at once followed, not, however, before some dozen or so of the
fugitives had recovered what little sense they ever had by virtue of
sundry hard knocks on their skulls, and a dozen more or so had been
captured.
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