g rather
larger than its surrounding neighbours, into which he walked with
the air of one well used to the place.

First they passed through a large hall, the floor of which was
thickly sprinkled with sawdust; but, without pausing, Lord Claud
mounted a staircase in the corner, and led Tom into a large upper
room, the walls of which were adorned by rapiers with buttons at
the end, where a man was sitting polishing the foils and humming a
tune to himself. He rose instantly upon seeing Lord Claud, and made
a deep bow.

"I have come to try a bout at sword play with a friend of mine,"
explained the latter, stripping off his coat, and signing to Tom to
do the same. "Give us two well-matched weapons; for we have none
too much time to spare measuring and comparing."

Tom's blood quickened at the feel of the rapier in his hand. He had
always loved these encounters with the sword, whether in play or
earnest. He had not lacked training of a certain rude sort, and his
wrist was strong and supple, his eye wary and keen; moreover, he
had length of reach and strength of muscle. After the first bout
Lord Claud gave him an approving nod, and, looking at the man who
stood by, remarked:

"There is the making of a fine swordsman in the lad, is there not,
when he has learnt more finesse and quickness?"

"The gentleman does well," answered the man, with a shrewd glance
at Tom's tall and well-knit frame. "He may be worsted in a sham
fight, but, methinks, in sober earnest he would be an ugly customer
to meet."

In the next bout Lord Claud showed his antagonist some of the
dexterous feats of rapid sword play, with the result that Tom was
rather hard pressed; but for all that he did not lose his head, and
soon began to master the tricks of attack and defence, the quick
lunge and the quick recovery which perplexed him at first; and in
the next bout he showed so much skill and address that his opponent
and the onlooker alike applauded.

"Very good, Tom, very good," said Lord Claud. "You will make a
notable swordsman one of these days. Now I shall leave you here for
an hour with worthy Captain Raikes, and he will give you a lesson
in fencing which you will not fail to profit by. After that I will
come back for you, and take you elsewhere.

"Captain Raikes, I have a little affair on hand tomorrow morning. I
would fain try a pass with you, to see that my hand has lost
nothing of its cunning."

"Not much fear of that, my lord," answered