mile about his mouth. Only
once he opened his lips, and then it was to murmur to himself: "And God
blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply."

The horror ceased at last, and later we heard the door unlock and a
man's foot upon the landing above. Hal beckoned to me, and swiftly we
slipped out and down the creaking stairs. He opened the front door, and
we waited in the evil-smelling little passage. The man came towards
us whistling. He was a powerfully built fellow, rather good-looking,
I remember. He stopped abruptly upon catching sight of Hal, who stood
crouching in the shadow of the door.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Waiting to pull your nose!" answered Hal, suiting the action to the
word. And then laughing he ran down the street, I following.

The man gave chase, calling to us with a string of imprecations to stop.
But Hal only ran the faster, though after a street or two he slackened,
and the man gained on us a little.

So we continued, the distance between us and our pursuer now a little
more, now a little less. People turned and stared at us. A few boys,
scenting grim fun, followed shouting for awhile; but these we soon
out-paced, till at last in deserted streets, winding among warehouses
bordering the river, we three ran alone, between long, lifeless walls. I
looked into Hal's face from time to time, and he was laughing; but every
now and then he would look over his shoulder at the man behind him still
following doggedly, and then his face would be twisted into a comically
terrified grimace. Turning into a narrow cul-de-sac, Hal suddenly ducked
behind a wide brick buttress, and the man, still running, passed us.
And then Hal stood up and called to him, and the man turned, looked into
Hal's eyes, and understood.

He was not a coward. Besides, even a rat when cornered will fight for
its life. He made a rush at Hal, and Hal made no attempt to defend
himself. He stood there laughing, and the man struck him full in the
face, and the blood spurted out and flowed down into his mouth. The
man came on again, though terror was in every line of his face, all his
desire being to escape. But this time Hal drove him back again. They
fought for awhile, if one can call it fighting, till the man, mad for
air, reeled against the wall, stood there quivering convulsively, his
mouth wide open, resembling more than anything else some huge dying
fish. And Hal drew away and waited.

I have no desire