 who seeing
Peregrine with a pistol in his hand, and such wild disorder in his looks, his
head, hands and mouth besmeared with blood, and, moreover, smelling the
gunpowder which had been burnt, actually believed he had either committed, or
was bent upon murder, and, accordingly, retreated down stairs with infinite
dispatch; though all his speed could not convey him without the reach of Pipes,
who overtaking him in the passage, carried him back into his master's apartment,
observing by the way, that this was no time to sheer off, when his consort stood
in need of his assistance.
    There was something so ruefully severe in the countenance of Cadwallader,
thus compelled, that at any other time, our hero would have laughed at his
concern; but at present, there was nothing risible in his disposition: he had,
however, laid aside his pistol, and endeavoured, though in vain, to compose his
internal disturbance; for he could not utter one syllable to the Misanthrope,
but stood staring at him in silence, with a most delirious aspect, which did not
tend to dispel the dismay of his friend, who, after some recollection, »I wonder
(said he) that you have never killed your man before. Pray, how may you have
disposed of the body?« Pickle having recovered the faculty of speech, ordered
his lacquey out of the room, and in a most incoherent detail, made Crabtree
acquainted with the perfidious conduct of the minister.
    The confident was very glad to find his fears disappointed; for he had
really concluded, that some life was lost: and perceiving the youth too much
agitated to be treated by him in his usual stile, he owned that Sir Steady was a
rascal, encouraged Pickle with the hope of being one day able to make reprisals
upon him; in the mean time, offered him money for his immediate occasions,
exhorted him to exert his own qualifications in rendering himself independent of
such miscreants, and finally, counselled him to represent his wrongs to the
nobleman whom he had formerly obliged, with a view of interesting that peer in
his behalf, or at least of obtaining a satisfactory explanation from the
minister, that he might take no premature measures of revenge.
    These admonitions were so much milder, and more agreeable than our hero
expected from the Misanthrope, that they had a very favourable effect upon his
transports, which gradually subsided, until he became so tractable, as to
promise that he would conform to his advice; in consequence of which, he next
morning waited upon his lordship, who received him very
