it out almost in
a scream. I leaned forward for a sideways sight of his face.

"Gad! he's going to have a fit and tumble off the platform.
Stand by, Otty." Jimmy, reaching out a hand again for Mr. Farrell's
coat-tails, spoke the warning close in my ear, for by this time
twenty or thirty voices had taken up the cry, "Throw him out!" the
Chairman was hammering like mad for Order, and there was an ugly
shuffle of feet at the far end of the hall.

"Throw him out! Throw him out!" Farrell kept screaming above the
hubbub. "How would _he_ treat a dog?--"

"The man's demented," said I--and with that I heard a bench or a
chair go crack like a revolver-shot. It might have been a shot
starting a sprint; for close on top of it about a dozen fellows leapt
out into the gangway, while three or four charged forward through the
audience, where the women had already started to scream.

There was nothing for it but prompt action. Jimmy and I swung
ourselves down over the front of the platform. This gave us a fair
start of the crowd, but it didn't give us any time to argue with Foe,
who still stood glaring up at Farrell, ready to put in another retort
as soon as he could get a hearing. Of the danger rushing down on him
either he wasn't aware or he cared nothing for it. Jimmy caught him
by the waist, and grinned intelligently as I pointed to the emergency
exit around the corner of the platform.

"Right-O! Hold the curtain aside for me. . . . Along you come,
Professor! Be a good child and don't kick nursy . . ."

"Take him home," said I. "Policeman will help if there's a row
outside."

Then I dropped the curtain on them and faced about. The audience by
this time were standing on benches and chairs, but of course my first
job was with the hustlers who had reached the end of the gangway and
were coming on under the lee of the platform. They looked ugly at
first, but the job turned out to be a soft one.

"You wanted him turned out," said I, "and we've obliged you.
Rather neatly, eh?--You can't say no to that."

I wanted someone to laugh, and by the mercy of Heaven someone did--
someone back in the third or fourth row. In five seconds or so quite
a lot of people were laughing and applauding.

"Now stand where you are," said I, catching hold of this advantage;
"and one of you give me a leg up to the platform. I'm going to
propose a vote of thanks. . . . Won't keep you standing long.
But please don't go back to your seat