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ashamed thus to fly from a single woman? But if no other will opposeher, I myself and Joan Top here will have the honour of the victory."Having thus said, she flew at Molly Seagrim, and easily wrenched thethigh-bone from her hand, at the same time clawing off her cap fromher head. Then laying hold of the hair of Molly with her left hand,she attacked her so furiously in the face with the right, that theblood soon began to trickle from her nose. Molly was not idle thiswhile. She soon removed the clout from the head of Goody Brown, andthen fastening on her hair with one hand, with the other she causedanother bloody stream to issue forth from the nostrils of the enemy.When each of the combatants had borne off sufficient spoils of hairfrom the head of her antagonist, the next rage was against thegarments. In this attack they exerted so much violence, that in a veryfew minutes they were both naked to the middle.It is lucky for the women that the seat of fistycuff war is not thesame with them as among men; but though they may seem a little todeviate from their sex, when they go forth to battle, yet I haveobserved, they never so far forget, as to assail the bosoms of eachother; where a few blows would be fatal to most of them. This, I know,some derive from their being of a more bloody inclination than themales. On which account they apply to the nose, as to the part whenceblood may most easily be drawn; but this seems a far-fetched as wellas ill-natured supposition.Goody Brown had great advantage of Molly in this particular; for theformer had indeed no breasts, her bosom (if it may be so called), aswell in colour as in many other properties, exactly resembling anantient piece of parchment, upon which any one might have drummed aconsiderable while without doing her any great damage.Molly, beside her present unhappy condition, was differently formed inthose parts, and might, perhaps, have tempted the envy of Brown togive her a fatal blow, had not the lucky arrival of Tom Jones at thisinstant put an immediate end to the bloody scene.This accident was luckily owing to Mr Square; for he, Master Blifil,and Jones, had mounted their horses, after church, to take the air,and had ridden about a quarter of a mile, when Square, changing hismind (not idly, but for a reason which we shall unfold as soon as wehave leisure), desired the young gentlemen to ride with him anotherway than they had at first purposed. This motion being complied with,brought them of necessity back again to the churchyard.Master Blifil, who rode first, seeing such a mob assembled, and twowomen in the posture in which we left the combatants, stopt his horseto enquire what was the matter. A country fellow, scratching his head,answered him: "I don't know, measter, un't I; an't please your honour,here hath been a vight, I think, between Goody Brown and MollSeagrim.""Who, who?" cries Tom; but without waiting for an answer, havingdiscovered the features of his Molly through all the discomposure inwhich they now were, he hastily alighted, turned his horse loose, and,leaping over the wall, ran to her. She now first bursting into tears,told him how barbarously she had been treated. Upon which, forgettingthe sex of Goody Brown, or perhaps not knowing it in his rage--for, inreality, she had no feminine appearance but a petticoat, which hemight not observe--he gave her a lash or two with his horsewhip; and