He was saying something about "not wanting to shield me," and "locking-up," the drift of which I afterwards slowly gathered, when the village policeman--we only had one at Brownstroke--addressing my uncle as "your honour," said he would look in in the morning for further orders.
At this interesting juncture the bust began to wobble about again, and I saw and heard no more till I woke next morning, and found Mrs Hudson mopping my forehead with something, and saying, "There now, Master Freddy, lie quite still, there's a good boy." "What's the matter ?" said I, putting up my hand to the place she was washing.
It was something like a bump! "It's only a bruise, Master Freddy--no bones broken, thank God!" said she, motioning me to be silent.
But I was in no mood to be silent.

Slowly the recollection of yesterday's events dawned on me.
"Did they get off Cad Prog's apron," I inquired, "after all ?" Of course, the good old soul thought this was sheer wandering of the mind, and she looked very frightened, and implored me to lie still.
It was a long time before I perceived any connection between our chase of the redoubtable Cad Prog up Side Street yesterday and my lying here bruised and in a darkened room to-day.

At last I supposed Mr Prog must have conquered me; whereat I fired up again, and said, "Did the other fellows finish him up ?" "Oh, dear me, yes," said the terrified nurse; "all up, every bit--there now--and asked for more!" This consoled me.

Presently a doctor came and looked at my forehead, and left some powders, which I heard him say I was to take in jam three times a day.

I felt still more consoled.
In fact, reader, as you will have judged, I was a little damaged by the adventure in Side Street, and the noble exploit of my companions and myself had not ended all in glory.
A day or two after, when I got better, I found out more about it, and rather painfully too, because my uncle landed one day in my bedroom and commenced strongly to arraign me before him.
He bade me tell him what had happened, which I did as well as I could.
At the end of it he said, "I suppose you are not aware that for a day or two it was uncertain whether you had not killed that child that was in the room ?" "I ?" I exclaimed.