his last
twist took the smile off his face clean enough, and he came to his
feet with a bound. I awaited him. But young Lord Strepp and Forister
grabbed him and began to argue. At the same time there came down upon
me such a deluge of waiters and pot-boys, and, may be, hostlers, that
I couldn't have done anything if I had been an elephant. They were
frightened out of their wits and painfully respectful, but all the
same and all the time they were bundling me toward the door. "Sir!
Sir! Sir! I beg you, sir! Think of the 'ouse, sir! Sir! Sir! Sir!" And
I found myself out in the hall.

Here I addressed them calmly. "Loose me and takes yourselves off
quickly, lest I grow angry and break some dozen of these wooden
heads." They took me at my word and vanished like ghosts. Then the
landlord came bleating, but I merely told him that I wanted to go to
my chamber, and if anybody inquired for me I wished him conducted up
at once.

In my chamber I had not long to wait. Presently there were steps in
the corridor and a knock at my door. At my bidding the door opened and
Lord Strepp entered. I arose and we bowed. He was embarrassed and
rather dubious.

"Aw," he began, "I come, sir, from Colonel Royale, who begs to be
informed who he has had the honour of offending, sir?"

"'Tis not a question for your father's son, my lord," I answered
bluntly at last.

"You are, then, the son of The O'Ruddy?"

"No," said I. "I am The O'Ruddy. My father died a month gone and
more."

"Oh!" said he. And I now saw why he was embarrassed. He had feared
from the beginning that I was altogether too much in the right. "Oh!"
said he again. I made up my mind that he was a good lad. "That is
dif--" he began awkwardly. "I mean, Mr. O'Ruddy--oh, damn it all, you
know what I mean, Mr. O'Ruddy!"

I bowed. "Perfectly, my lord!" I did not understand him, of course.

"I shall have the honour to inform Colonel Royale that Mr. O'Ruddy is
entitled to every consideration," he said more collectedly. "If Mr.
O'Ruddy will have the goodness to await me here?"

"Yes, my lord." He was going in order to tell the Colonel that I was a
gentleman. And of course he returned quickly with the news. But he did
not look as if the message was one which he could deliver with a glib
tongue. "Sir," he began, and then halted. I could but courteously
wait. "Sir, Colonel Royale bids me say that he is shocked to find that
he has carelessly and publicly inflicted an insult upon an u