sniveller," he said haughtily, "you have brought this on
yourself. I am going to give you a lesson that will teach you to behave
yourself in future, and you too, Senna Tea. You're fond of physic; you
shall have such a dose. Mind, you boys, that old Jollop doesn't sneak
off."

"All right!" rose in chorus; "he shan't go."

"Mind he don't lick you, Eely," cried one of the boys at the window.

"Mind Tommy Wilson don't sneak off either," said Burr major. "All
right, Tommy, I can't fight you, but I can stretch those ugly great ears
for you."

"Ow how! ow how!" cried the little fellow, sparring a peculiar yelling
noise, but indulging in a broad grin to his nearest companion. "Oh, my
poor ears! I say, Burr junior, you lick him, and then you can take care
of me."

I did not speak, for my antagonist had begun sparring at me, making
feints and trying to throw me off my guard, but, as if by instinct now,
I dropped into the positions and practice Mercer and I had been learning
so long, and, as I thought, without avail; but I did begin to find out
that it had been good advice to stand on my guard and to let my
adversary show-off and tire himself.

I felt very cool, and not so much alarmed now, when the first blow came,
intended for my lips, but which I easily stopped, and so I did another
and another, the round ending by Burr major making a fierce dash at me,
over-reaching himself, and going down without my having delivered one
blow.

"How slippery these boards are!" said Burr, jumping up.

"That's right!" whispered Mercer; "keep on as quiet as that, and wait
your time."

Then we began again, and I felt very much disinclined to hit out hard,
as I felt that I could have done, for fear of hurting my antagonist--for
the feeling of animosity and the memory of the insults, blows, and
annoyance from which I had suffered had faded away. But all at once, as
we stood eyeing each other, Burr's fist came sharply in contact with my
lips, there was a dull pain, a sensation of a tooth being loosened, a
nasty faint salt taste in my mouth, followed by a short struggle, and I
was thrown heavily.

Burr major walked back and sat down on his second's knee, smiling round
at the cheering boys, who began to crowd round him, while, as I rose,
feeling painful throbbings in one elbow and arm, I was drawn down on
Mercer's knee, and he whispered,--

"Never mind. Don't get excited over it. Be quite cool. Now then, he's
ready again."

S