mug
gentleman continued, 'that Mr. Attorney begged me to convey his duty and
inform you that he had made the needful arrangements and provided bail,
so that you are at liberty to leave, Sir George, at any hour.'

'Ah!' Soane said, marvelling somewhat. 'I shall stay here, nevertheless,
until I hear that Mr. Dunborough is out of danger.'

'An impulse that does you credit, sir,' the surgeon said impressively.
'These affairs, alas! are very greatly to be de--'

'They are d--d inconvenient,' Sir George drawled. 'He is not out of
danger yet, I suppose?'

The surgeon stared and puffed anew. 'Certainly not, sir,' he said.

'Ah! And where have you placed him?'

'The Honourable Mr.--, the sufferer?'

'To be sure! Who else, man?' Soane asked impatiently.

'In some rooms at Magdalen,' the doctor answered, breathing hard. And
then, 'Is it your wish that I should report to you to-morrow, sir?'

'You will oblige me. Thank you. Good-day.'

CHAPTER VI

A FISH OUT OF WATER

Sir George spent a long day in his own company, and heedless that on the
surgeon's authority he passed abroad for a hard man and a dashed
unfeeling fellow, dined on Lord Lyttelton's 'Life of King Henry the
Second,' which was a new book in those days, and the fashion; and supped
on gloom and good resolutions. He proposed to call and inquire after his
antagonist at a decent hour in the morning, and if the report proved
favourable, to go on to Lord----'s in the afternoon.

But his suspense was curtailed, and his inquiries were converted into a
matter of courtesy, by a visit which he received after breakfast from
Mr. Thomasson. A glance at the tutor's smiling, unctuous face was
enough. Mr. Thomasson also had had his dark hour--since to be mixed up
with, a fashionable fracas was one thing, and to lose a valuable and
influential pupil, the apple of his mother's eye, was another; but it
was past, and he gushed over with gratulations.

'My dear Sir George,' he cried, running forward and extending his hands,
'how can I express my thankfulness for your escape? I am told that the
poor dear fellow fought with a fury perfectly superhuman, and had you
given ground must have ran you through a dozen times. Let us be thankful
that the result was otherwise.' And he cast up his eyes.

'I am,' Sir George said, regarding him rather grimly. 'I do not know
that Mr. Dunborough shares the feeling.'

'The dear man!' the tutor answered, not a whit abashed. 'But he is
bet