don't give me any of your cheek," said Grundy, sidling up to his
antagonist in a threatening manner; "you mean to say I'm a liar, eh?"

The advent of three Fifth Form boys--one of whom took Grundy by the
shoulders and pushed him away, with the command to "Get out and lie on
the mat"--put an end, for the time being, to the altercation. The crowd
increased: boys of all ages stopped to read the verses; some few
laughed, and pronounced them jolly good; but to do them justice, the
greater number of Ronleians were too jealous of the honour of their
school to see much fun in this attempt to lampoon their football
representatives. Just as the bell was ringing for assembly, the paper
was torn down by Trail, the head of the Remove, who ripped it up into
fifty pieces, and in answer to Gull's inquiry what he did that for,
replied, "I'll jolly soon show you!" in such a menacing tone that the
questioner saw fit to turn on his heel and walk away with an alacrity of
movement not altogether due to any particular eagerness to commence
work.

The Lower Fourth were straggling down the passage on the way to their
classroom, when they heard a scuffle and the clatter of falling books.
Grundy had seized Jack Vance by the collar from behind, and was screwing
his knuckle into his victim's neck.

"Yes; you called me a liar, didn't you?"

"So you are! Let go my coat!"

"Oh, so you stick to it, do you? I'll--"

The sentence was interrupted by Jack giving a sudden twist and striking
his antagonist a heavy blow in the chest, which sent him staggering
against the opposite wall. Grundy was nearly a head taller than Vance;
but the latter's blood was up, and in another moment the dogs of war
would have assuredly broken loose had not the flutter of a gown at the
end of the passage announced the advent of Mr. Greyling.

The class had finished translating from their Latin author, and had just
commenced writing an exercise, when a note was passed over to Jack Vance
from the desk behind; it was short and to the point:--

"Will you fight me after twelve at the back of the pavilion?--
H. GRUNDY."

Jack read the challenge, turned round and nodded, and then went calmly
on with his work as though nothing had happened.

This cool way of treating the matter did not altogether please Grundy,
who had rather expected that his adversary would elect to "take a
licking." He had, however, every reason to count upon an easy
victory, and so promptly despat