you never know what mayn't come of them sort of blows. No,
sir; half-armed hitting is the thing for a general row; it hurts just as
much, and is just as good for closing up an eye, but it don't do no
general damage, so to speak. Now, sir, there's a row over the business.
In course I holds my tongue; but they says as four of the party was
young uns, and they guessed as they was gents. Now they puts things
together, and have found out as I gives lessons to some of you
Westminster gents, and they guesses as some of you was with me. Now, as
I tells them, what can they do? They was the first to begin it, and we
was only standing on self-defence, that's the way I puts it. No
magistrate would look at the charge for a minute. It stands to reason
that nine men did not attack four or five hundred. They must have been
attacking us, that's clear to any one; and if it was me I should not
care the snap of a finger about it--that's what I tells the red-haired
tailor when he came here with two of his pals this morning. 'We has as
much right to our opinions as you have; you attacks us,' says I, 'and we
gives you pepper, that's all about it.' 'His beauty's spoilt for life,'
says one of his mates. 'He never had no beauty to spoil,' says I, 'by
the look of 'im,' so we got to words. 'They was Westminster boys,' says
he. 'That's all you knows about it,' says I. 'I will go to their
masters,' says he, 'and report the case, and show him my nose,' says he.
'You have got no case to report,' says I, 'and no nose to show.' 'We
will see about that,' says he; 'I ain't going to be made an object for
the rest of my life for nothing.'

"So we goes on arguing; but at last he lets out that if I bring him a
'tenner' in the course of the week he will shut up. I ain't allowed of
course, Mr. Norris, that any of you young gents had a hand in the fray,
quite the contrary; but he has got it into his head that it is so, and
he has made up his mind that he will go to the master. I don't think it
likely that they could spot you, for they could hardly have got a fair
look at your faces."

"No," Frank said, "I don't suppose they would recognise any of us; but
the first thing Litter would do would be to ask us if any of us were
concerned in the affair. It's a beastly nuisance, for just now I happen
to be completely cleaned out, and I am sure I do not know where I could
get ten pounds from."

"If it had been any other time I could have helped you, Mr. Norris, but
I