e a tug at his sister's braid of hair,--a tug so violent
that it almost threw the girl flat on her back on the ground. The little
girl uttered a cry; her brother whirled round; Franti, who is much
taller and stronger than Stardi, thought:--

"He'll not utter a word, or I'll break his skin for him!"

But Stardi never paused to reflect, and small and ill-made as he is, he
flung himself with one bound on that big fellow, and began to belabor
him with his fists. He could not hold his own, however, and he got more
than he gave. There was no one in the street but girls, so there was no
one who could separate them. Franti flung him on the ground; but the
other instantly got up, and then down he went on his back again, and
Franti pounded away as though upon a door: in an instant he had torn
away half an ear, and bruised one eye, and drawn blood from the other's
nose. But Stardi was tenacious; he roared:--

"You may kill me, but I'll make you pay for it!" And down went Franti,
kicking and cuffing, and Stardi under him, butting and lungeing out with
his heels. A woman shrieked from a window, "Good for the little one!"
Others said, "It is a boy defending his sister; courage! give it to him
well!" And they screamed at Franti, "You overbearing brute! you coward!"
But Franti had grown ferocious; he held out his leg; Stardi tripped and
fell, and Franti on top of him.

"Surrender!"--"No!"--"Surrender!"--"No!" and in a flash Stardi recovered
his feet, clasped Franti by the body, and, with one furious effort,
hurled him on the pavement, and fell upon him with one knee on his
breast.

"Ah, the infamous fellow! he has a knife!" shouted a man, rushing up to
disarm Franti.

But Stardi, beside himself with rage, had already grasped Franti's arm
with both hands, and bestowed on the fist such a bite that the knife
fell from it, and the hand began to bleed. More people had run up in the
meantime, who separated them and set them on their feet. Franti took to
his heels in a sorry plight, and Stardi stood still, with his face all
scratched, and a black eye,--but triumphant,--beside his weeping sister,
while some of the girls collected the books and copy-books which were
strewn over the street.

"Bravo, little fellow!" said the bystanders; "he defended his sister!"

But Stardi, who was thinking more of his satchel than of his victory,
instantly set to examining the books and copy-books, one by one, to see
whether anything was missing or inj