w don't you try to deny it, Hibbs. You know I heard you?"

"Well, what did I say?" asked Hibbs, defiantly.

"Well, what did you say?" interrupted Callum, grimly, transferring the
conversation to himself. "That's just what I want to know."

"Why," stammered Hibbs, nervously, "I don't think I've said anything
that anybody else hasn't said. I just repeated that some one said that
your sister had been very friendly with Mr. Cowperwood. I didn't say any
more than I have heard other people say around here."

"Oh, you didn't, did you?" exclaimed Callum, withdrawing his hand from
his pocket and slapping Hibbs in the face. He repeated the blow with his
left hand, fiercely. "Perhaps that'll teach you to keep my sister's name
out of your mouth, you pup!"

Hibbs's arms flew up. He was not without pugilistic training, and he
struck back vigorously, striking Callum once in the chest and once in
the neck. In an instant the two rooms of this suite were in an uproar.
Tables and chairs were overturned by the energy of men attempting to get
to the scene of action. The two combatants were quickly separated; sides
were taken by the friends of each, excited explanations attempted and
defied. Callum was examining the knuckles of his left hand, which were
cut from the blow he had delivered. He maintained a gentlemanly calm.
Hibbs, very much flustered and excited, insisted that he had been most
unreasonably used. The idea of attacking him here. And, anyhow, as he
maintained now, Pethick had been both eavesdropping and lying about him.
Incidentally, the latter was protesting to others that he had done
the only thing which an honorable friend could do. It was a nine days'
wonder in the club, and was only kept out of the newspapers by the most
strenuous efforts on the part of the friends of both parties. Callum was
so outraged on discovering that there was some foundation for the rumor
at the club in a general rumor which prevailed that he tendered his
resignation, and never went there again.

"I wish to heaven you hadn't struck that fellow," counseled Owen, when
the incident was related to him. "It will only make more talk. She ought
to leave this place; but she won't. She's struck on that fellow yet, and
we can't tell Norah and mother. We will never hear the last of this, you
and I--believe me."

"Damn it, she ought to be made to go," exclaimed Callum.

"Well, she won't," replied Owen. "Father has tried making her, and
she won't go. Just