rutal. Besides, I have another reason,
which I don't care to mention."

By this time they had reached the scene of the difficulty, Little
Cameron was half-crying, and Thorne stood over him with upraised arm.

"Do as I tell you, you little blackguard!" he was just saying, when a
voice he well knew was heard, calm and resolute:

"Thorne, are you bullying that boy again?"

Nicholas turned and saw his old antagonist. He was sorry to see him, but
he could not well withdraw now.

"It's none of your business," he answered, sullenly.

"I shall make it my business to protect the weak," said Jasper, quietly.

"You may need to protect yourself," sneered Thorne.

"If necessary, I feel competent to do so. Cameron, come here."

"Don't you go!" said Thorne, menacingly.

The little boy looked in terror from one to the other. Evidently he
dreaded that the immediate result of his obeying Kent would be to
precipitate a blow from the bully.

Jasper saw the little boy's quandary, and he quickly advanced to the
rescue. Throwing one arm protectingly round Cameron's waist, he regarded
Nicholas firmly.

"Well," he said, "what do you propose to do?"

Thorne had had time to think. He hated Jasper worse than ever, but he
knew that our hero did not care for blows. Moreover, he was likely to
give back better than he received. There was another way of wounding
him, which prudence would have led him to hold in reserve. But he was
too angry to be prudent. Moreover, he had had a note two days before
from his mother, from which he learned that the wedding was to be
solemnized on that very day. Probably at that moment his mother was Mrs.
Kent.

"I won't fight," he said, with an unpleasant smile, "seeing we're
relations."

"Relations!" repeated Jasper, with a look of surprise and inquiry. "I
don't know what you mean."

"You'll know soon enough," said Thorne, mockingly.

A suspicion of the truth entered Jasper's mind. He turned pale, and
said:

"Will you step aside with me, Thorne, and tell me what you mean!"

"If you like," said Thorne, indifferently.

"Now," said Jasper, when they had withdrawn a few rods from the other
boys.

"It appears you haven't heard the news," said Thorne, with malicious
enjoyment. "Your father has married my mother. That makes us
step-brothers, doesn't it?"

"My father married again!" said Jasper, recoiling as if he had received
a blow.

"Yes. Strange you wasn't invited to the wedding, isn't it?"