‘ Is that you , Edward ? So dark here ! We ought really to keep the gas turned up all the time . ’ ‘ Well , hurry in to the fire , do ! Ugh , what a storm ! Do you suppose anybody will come ? You must be half frozen , you poor thing ! Come quick , or you 'll certainly perish ! ’ She flies from the portiere to the fire burning on the hearth , pokes it , flings on a log , jumps back , brushes from her dress with a light shriek the sparks driven out upon it , and continues talking incessantly in a voice lifted for her husband to hear in the anteroom . ‘ If I 'd dreamed it was any such storm as this , I should never have let you go out in it in the world . It was n't at all necessary to have the flowers . I could have got on perfectly well , and I believe NOW the table would look better without them . The chrysanthemums would have been quite enough ; and I know you 've taken more cold . I could tell it by your voice as soon as you spoke ; and just as quick as they 're gone to-night I 'm going to have you bathe your feet in mustard and hot water , and take eight of aconite , and go straight to bed . And I do n't want you to eat very much at dinner , dear , and you must be sure not to drink any coffee , or the aconite wo n't be of the least use . ’ She turns and encounters her husband , who enters through the portiere , his face pale , his eyes wild , his white necktie pulled out of knot , and his shirt front rumpled . ‘ Why , Edward , what in the world is the matter ? What has happened ? ’ ROBERTS , sinking into a chair : ‘ Get me a glass of water , Agnes — wine — whisky — brandy — ’ ‘ Robbed ? ’ She drops the wineglass , puts the decanter down on the hearth , and carefully bestowing the flagon of cologne in the wood-box , abandons herself to justice : ‘ Then let them come for me at once , Edward ! If I could have the heart to send you out in such a night as this for a few wretched rosebuds , I 'm quite equal to poisoning you . Oh , Edward , WHO robbed you ? ’ ‘ Yes , yes ; go on ! I can bear it , Edward . ’ ‘ Waistcoat ! Yes ! ’ ‘ What ! Your watch ? The watch Willis gave you ? Made out of the gold that he mined himself when he first went out to California ? Do n't ask me to believe it , Edward ! But I 'm only too glad that you escaped with your life . Let them have the watch and welcome . Oh , nay dear , dear husband ! ’ She approaches him with extended arms , and then suddenly arrests herself . ‘ But you 've got it on ! ’ ROBERTS , with as much returning dignity as can comport with his dishevelled appearance : ‘ Yes ; I took it from him . ’ At his wife 's speechless astonishment : ‘ I went after him and took it from him . ’ He sits down , and continues with resolute calm , while his wife remains standing before him motionless : ‘ Agnes , I do n't know how I came to do it . I would n't have believed I could do it . I 've never thought that I had much courage — physical courage ; but when I felt my watch was gone , a sort of frenzy came over me . I was n't hurt ; and for the first time in my life I realised what an abominable outrage theft was . The thought that at six o'clock in the evening , in the very heart of a great city like Boston , an inoffensive citizen could be assaulted and robbed , made me furious . I did n't call out . I simply buttoned my coat tight round me and turned and ran after the fellow . ’ ‘ Edward ! ’ ‘ Oh ! ’ : ‘ Oh , I wonder that you live to tell the tale , Edward ! ’ ‘ But I always knew you had it ! Go on . Oh , when I tell Willis of this ! Had the robber any accomplices ? Were there many of them ? ’ ‘ Nonsense ! There are ALWAYS two ! I 've read the accounts of those garottings . And to think you not only got out of their clutches alive , but got your property back — Willis 's watch ! Oh , what WILL Willis say ? But I know how proud of you he 'll be . Oh , I wish I could scream it from the house-tops . Why did n't you call the police ? ’ ‘ No matter . I 'm glad you have ALL the glory of it . I do n't believe you half realise what you 've been through now . And perhaps this was the robbers ’ first attempt , and it will be a lesson to them . Oh yes ! I 'm glad you let them escape , Edward . They may have families . If every one behaved as you 've done , there would soon be an end of garotting . But , oh ! I can n't bear to think of the danger you 've run . And I want you to promise me never , never to undertake such a thing again ! ’ ‘ Yes , yes ; you must ! Suppose you had got killed in that awful struggle with those reckless wretches tugging to get away from you ! Think of the children ! Why , you might have burst a blood-vessel ! Will you promise , Edward ? Promise this instant , on your bended knees , just as if you were in a court of justice ! ’ Mrs. Roberts 's excitement mounts , and she flings herself at her husband 's feet , and pulls his face down to hers with the arm she has thrown about his neck . ‘ Will you promise ? ’ ‘ He was attacked by two garotters — ’ ‘ Do n't speak , Edward ! I KNOW there were two . On the Common . Not half an hour ago . As he was going to get me some rosebuds . In the midst of this terrible storm . ’ ‘ Do n't answer , Edward ! One of the band threw his arm round Edward 's neck — so . ’ She illustrates by garotting Mrs. Crashaw , who disengages herself with difficulty . ‘ And the other one snatched his watch , and ran as fast as he could . ’ ‘ Of COURSE they might . But EDWARD did n't care . The idea of being robbed at six o'clock on the Common made him so furious that he scorned to cry out for help , or call the police , or anything ; but he just ran after them — ’ ‘ Nonsense , Edward ! How could you tell , so excited as you were ?— And caught hold of the largest of the wretches — a perfect young giant — ’ ‘ Well , he was YOUNG , anyway !— And flung him on the ground . ’ She advances upon Mrs. Crashaw in her enthusiasm . ‘ And tore his coat open , while all the rest were tugging at him , and snatched his watch , and then — and then just walked coolly away . ’ ‘ Well , RAN . It 's quite the same thing , and I 'm just as proud of you as if you had walked . Of course you were not going to throw your life away . ’ ‘ Of course you would n't , dear ! And that 's what I want him to promise , Aunt Mary : never to do it again , no matter HOW much he 's provoked . I want him to promise it right here in your presence , Aunt Mary ! ’ ‘ Yes ; go right off at once , Edward . How you DO think of things , Aunt Mary ! I really suppose I should have gone on all night and never noticed his looks . Run , Edward , and do it , dear . But — kiss me first ! Oh , it DON'T seem as if you could be alive and well after it all ! Are you sure you 're not hurt ? ’ ROBERTS , embracing her : ‘ No ; I 'm all right . ’ ‘ And you 're not injured internally ? Sometimes they 're injured internally — are n't they , Aunt Mary ?— and it does n't show till months afterwards . Are you sure ? ’ ROBERTS , making a cursory examination of his ribs with his hands : ‘ Yes , I think so . ’ ‘ And you do n't feel any bad effects from the cologne NOW ? Just think , Aunt Mary , I gave him cologne to drink , and poured the brandy on his head , when he came in ! But I was determined to keep calm , whatever I did . And if I 've poisoned him I 'm quite willing to die for it — oh , quite ! I would gladly take the blame of it before the whole world . ’ ‘ Yes , do go , Edward . But — kiss me — ’ ‘ Did he ? Well , kiss me again , then , Edward . And now do go , dear . M-m-m-m . ’ The inarticulate endearments represented by these signs terminate in a wild embrace , protracted halfway across the room , in the height of which Mr. Willis Campbell enters . ‘'Sh , Edward ! What 's he been doing ? What does he look as if he had been doing ? ’ ‘ For shame , Willis ! I should think you 'd sink through the floor . Edward , not a word ! I AM ashamed of him , if he IS my brother . ’ ‘ Up ? He 's been ROBBED !— robbed on the Common , not five minutes ago ! A whole gang of garotters surrounded him under the Old Elm — or just where it used to be — and took his watch away ! And he ran after them , and knocked the largest of the gang down , and took it back again . He was n't hurt , but we 're afraid he 's been injured internally ; he may be bleeding internally NOW — Oh , do you think he is , Willis ? Do n't you think we ought to send for a physician ?— That , and the cologne I gave him to drink . It 's the brandy I poured on his head makes him smell so . And he all so exhausted he could n't speak , and I did n't know what I was doing , either ; but he 's promised — oh yes , he 's promised !— never , never to do it again . ’ She again flings her arms about her husband , and then turns proudly to her brother . ‘ Oh yes , do go , Edward ! Not but what I should be proud and happy to have you appear just as you are before the whole world , if it was only to put Willis down with his jokes about your absent-mindedness , and his boasts about those California desperadoes of his . ’ ‘ Oh , I know it does n't become me to praise your courage , darling ! But I should like to know what Willis would have done , with all his California experience , if a garotter had taken his watch ? ’ ‘ But of course there were more . How could he tell , in the dark and excitement ? And the one he did see was a perfect giant ; so you can imagine what the rest must have been like . ’ ‘ Knock him down ? Of course he did . ’ ‘ There , Willis ! ’ ‘ And he did n't call for the police , or anything — ’ ‘ And when he had got his watch away from them , he just let them go , because they had families dependent on them . ’ ‘ I was all excitement , Willis — ’ ‘ Oh , my goodness , what 's that ? It 's the garotters — I know it is ; and we shall all be murdered in our beds ! ’ ‘ NO , Willis , you sha'n ' t ! Do n't leave me , Edward ! Aunt Mary !— Oh , if we MUST die , let us all die together ! Oh , my poor children ! Ugh ! What 's that ? ’ The servant-maid opens the outer door , and uttering a shriek , rushes in through the drawing - room portiere . ‘ Which Mr. Bemis ? ’ ‘ Robbed ? Why , EDWARD has been robbed too . ’ ‘ Yes , EDWARD was coming through the Common . ’ ‘ Oh , if you only WERE , Mr. Bemis , perhaps I could persuade Edward that he was too : I KNOW he is . Edward , do n't exert yourself ! Aunt Mary , will you STOP him , or do you all wish to see me go distracted here before your eyes ? ’ WILLIS , examining the overcoat which Roberts has removed : ‘ Well , you wo n't have much trouble buttoning and unbuttoning this coat for the present . ’ : ‘ There were half a dozen in the gang that attacked Edward . ’ ‘ Edward 's put HIS arm round his neck and choked him . ’ ‘ I KNOW he did , Aunt Mary . ’ ‘ And then he ran after them , and snatched his watch away again in spite of them all ; and he did n't call for the police , or anything , because it was their first offence , and he could n't bear to think of their suffering families . ’ BEMIS , with a stare of profound astonishment : ‘ Who ? ’ ‘ Edward . Did n't I SAY Edward , all the time ? ’ ‘ Oh , he SAW how unstrung poor Edward was ! Mr. Bemis , I think you 're quite prejudiced . How could Edward help their escaping ? I think it was quite enough for him , single-handed , to get his watch back . ’ A ring at the door , and then a number of voices in the anteroom . ‘ I do believe they 're all there ! I 'll just run out and prepare your son . He would be dreadfully shocked if he came right in upon you . ’ She runs into the anteroom , and is heard without : ‘ Oh , Dr. Lawton ! Oh , Lou dear ! OH , Mr. Bemis ! How can I ever tell you ? Your poor father ! No , no , I CAN'T tell you ! You must n't ask me ! It 's too hideous ! And you would n't believe me if I did . ’ Chorus of anguished voices : ‘ What ? what ? what ? ’ ‘ They 've been robbed ! Garotted on the Common ! And , OH , Dr. Lawton , I 'm so glad YOU 'VE come ! They 're both injured internally , but I WISH you 'd look at Edward first . ’ ‘ Oh , it 's all very well to make fun now , Dr. Lawton ; but if you had been here when they first came in — ’ ‘ And the Millers — what a shame they could n't come ! How excited they would have been !— that is , Mrs. Miller . Is their baby very bad , Doctor ? ’ ‘ Oh , how ridiculous you are , Doctor ! ’ BEMIS , rising feebly from his chair : ‘ Well , now that it 's all explained , Mrs. Roberts , I think I 'd better go home ; and if you 'll kindly have them telephone for a carriage — ’ ‘ NO , indeed , Mr. Bemis ! We shall not let you go . Why , the IDEA ! You must stay and take dinner with us , just the same . ’ ‘ Oh , never mind the STATE . You look perfectly well ; and if you insist upon going , I shall know that you bear a grudge against Edward for not arresting him . Wait ! We can put you in perfect order in just a second . ’ She flies out of the room , and then comes swooping back with a needle and thread , a fresh white necktie , a handkerchief , and a hair-brush . ‘ There ! I can n't let you go to Edward 's dressing-room , because he 's there himself , and the children are in mine , and we 've had to put the new maid in the guest-chamber — you ARE rather cramped in flats , that 's true ; that 's the worst of them — but if you do n't mind having your toilet made in public , like the King of France — ’ BEMIS , entering into the spirit of it : ‘ Not the least ; but — ’ He laughs , and drops back into his chair . ‘ Then why do n't you do something ? ’ ‘ Do n't mind him a bit , Mr. Bemis ; it 's nothing but — ’ ‘ I thought you meant Edward . ’ ‘ Caught ? Nonsense ! You do n't mean it ! How can you trifle with such a subject ? I know you are joking ! Who is it ? ’ ‘ I do n't wish to . But oh , Mr. Bemis , I 've just come from my own children , and you must be merciful to his family ! ’