"What, ho!" he muttered, thickly. "It seems the world hath grown strangely unsteady, but, perchance, it may be my feet."
Some boys who had seen him fall shouted and laughed at him. He looked toward them sadly.
"Mock! mock! mock!" he cried. "Some of you thoughtless brats may fall even lower than I have fallen!"
"Well, I like that--I don't think!" exclaimed one of the boys. "I don't 'low no jagged stiff to call me a brat!"
Then he threw a stone at the old actor, striking the man on the cheek and cutting him slightly.
The unfortunate placed his crushed and soiled hat on his head, took out a handkerchief, and slowly wiped a little blood from his cheek, all the while swaying a bit, as if the ground beneath his feet were tossing like a ship.
"'Now let it work,'" he quoted. "'Mischief, thou art afoot; take thou what course thou wilt. How now, fellow?'"
The thoughtless young ruffians shouted with laughter.
"Looker the old duffer!" cried one. "Ain't that a picture fer yer!"
"Look!" exclaimed the actor. "Behold me with thy eyes! Even lower than I have fallen may thou descend; but I have aspired to heights of which thy sordid soul may never dream. Out upon you, dog!"
With these words he reached the walk and turned down the street.
"Let's foller him!" cried one of the gang. "We can have heaps of fun with him."
With a wild whoop, they rushed after the man. They reached him, danced around him, pulled his coat tails, jostled him, crushed his hat over his eyes.
"Give the old duffer fits!" cried the leader, who was a tough young thug of about eighteen.
There were seven boys in the gang, and four or five others came up on the run, eager to have a hand in the "racket."
The old actor pushed his hat back from his eyes, folded his arms over his out-thrown breast and gazed with his red, sunken eyes at the leader. As if declaiming on the stage he spoke:
"'You have done that you should be sorry for. There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; For I am armed so strong in honesty That they pass me by as the idle wind, Which I respect not.'"
This caused the boys to shout with laughter.
"And he needs another crack on the nut," shouted the leader, dancing up, and again knocking the hat over the old man's eyes.