guess ye'll find it on the rolls right enough. And as for insultin' a
leddy, that's what I'm goin' to charrge against ye--that and--"

"Why, Mike Doherty!" exclaimed Keith. "I am Mr. Keith--Gordon Keith."

"Mr. Keith! Gordon Keith!" The big officer leant over and looked at
Keith in the gathering dusk. "Be jabbers, and so it is! Who's your leddy
friend?" he asked in a low voice. "Be George, she's a daisy!"

Keith stiffened. The blood rushed to his face, and he started to speak
sharply. He, however, turned to Lois.

"Miss Huntington, this is an old friend of mine. This is Mike Doherty,
who used to be the best man on the ship when I ran the blockade as
a boy."

"The verry same," said Mike.

"He used to teach me boxing," continued Keith.

"I taaught him the left upper-cut," nodded the sergeant.

Keith went on and told the story of his coming on a man who was annoying
Miss Huntington, but he did not give his name.

"Did ye give him the left upper-cut?" demanded Sergeant Doherty.

"I am not sure that I did not," laughed Keith. "I know he went down over
there where you saw him lying--and I have ended one or two
misunderstandings with it very satisfactorily."

"Ah, well, then, I'm glad I taaught ye. I'm glad ye've got such a good
defender, ma'am. Ye'll pardon what I said when I first coomed up. But I
was a little over-het. Ye see, this place is kind o' noted
for--for--This place is called 'Snugglers' Roost.' Nobody comes here
this time 'thout they'rre a little aff, and we has arders to look
out for 'em."

"I am glad I had two such defenders," said Lois, innocently.

"I'm always glad to meet Mr. Keith's friends--and his inimies too," said
the sergeant, taking off his helmet and bowing. "If I can sarve ye any
time, sind worrd to Precin't XX, and I'll be proud to do it."

As Keith and Lois walked slowly homeward, Lois gave him an account of
her interview with Wickersham. Only she did not tell him of his kissing
her the first time. She tried to minimize the insult now, for she did
not know what Keith might do. He had suddenly grown so quiet.

What she said to Keith, however, was enough to make him very grave. And
when he left her at Mrs. Wentworth's house the gravity on his face
deepened to grimness. That Wickersham should have dared to insult this
young girl as he had done stirred Keith's deepest anger. What Keith did
was, perhaps, a very foolish thing. He tried to find him, but failing in
this, he wrote him a not