"Very ignorant indeed,--very ignorant indeed. And are you aware, sir,
that it would become a question with the Commissioners of this Board
whether you could be retained in the service of this department
if you were publicly punished by a police magistrate for such a
disgraceful outrage as that?"

Johnny looked round at the other Commissioner, but that gentleman did
not raise his face from his papers.

"Mr Eames is a very good clerk," whispered the assistant secretary,
but in a voice which made his words audible to Eames; "one of the
best young men we have," he added in a voice which was not audible.

"Oh,--ah; very well. Now, I'll tell you what, Mr Eames. I hope this
will be a lesson to you,--a very serious lesson."

The assistant secretary, leaning in his chair so as to be a little
behind the head of Sir Raffle, did manage to catch the eye of the
other Commissioner. The other Commissioner, barely looking round,
smiled a little and then the assistant secretary smiled also. Eames
saw this, and he smiled too.

"Whether any ulterior consequences may still await the breach of the
peace of which you have been guilty, I am not yet prepared to say,"
continued Sir Raffle. "You may go now."

And Johnny returned to his own place, with no increased reverence for
the dignity of the chairman.

On the following morning one of his colleagues showed him with great
glee the passage in the newspaper which informed the world that he
had been so desperately beaten by Crosbie that he was obliged to
keep his bed at this present time in consequence of the flogging
that he had received. Then his anger was aroused, and he bounced
about the big room of the Income-tax Office, regardless of
assistant-secretaries, head-clerks, and all other official grandees
whatsoever, denouncing the iniquities of the public press, and
declaring his opinion that it would be better to live in Russia
than in a country which allowed such audacious falsehoods to be
propagated.

"He never touched me, Fisher; I don't think he ever tried; but, upon
my honour, he never touched me."

"But, Johnny, it was bold in you to make up to Lord de Courcy's
daughter," said Fisher.

"I never saw one of them in my life."

"He's going it altogether among the aristocracy, now," said another;
"I suppose you wouldn't look at anybody under a viscount?"

"Can I help what that thief of an editor puts into his paper?
Flogged! Huffle Scuffle told me I was a felon, but that wa