“You coward, let that poor boy alone!” he cried.
Porler was thunderstruck. He had not dreamed of being interrupted. His face grew dark as he whirled around and faced the young gymnast.
“What right have you to come in here?” he hissed.
“The right any one has to save a defenseless boy from a brute!” retorted Leo. “I want you to leave him alone.”
“He is my ward.”
“I don’t care if he is. You evidently treat him worse than you would a dog.”
“He won’t do as I order him to.”
“You want him to risk his neck in the fairy act, an act that can’t be accomplished except by long and careful training. It isn’t right.”
“You are jealous and afraid we are going to outdo you,” sneered Porler.
Leo’s face flushed.