“What?” sputtered Ezra.
“It notes the vacant mind,” continued Clarence, with apparent calm. “Also I desire to state that while I don’t mind your spilling me, I do object to your spilling this girl.”
“What?” roared Ezra, doubling his fists and advancing to within a few feet of the youthful knight.
“I’m not deaf, either. The thing for you to do now is to apologize to Dora.”
“What?” roared Ezra, louder than ever.
“Oh, you’re deaf, are you?”
Here Clarence put his two hands like a speaking-trumpet before his mouth and shrilled at the top of his voice.
“Apologize to Dora!”
For answer Ezra’s right hand shot out, aimed direct for Clarence’s jaw. The youngster, expecting such demonstration, jumped back, but not so quickly as to avoid entirely the force of the blow; and as he returned with a facer that caught Ezra between the eyes, the gypsies, man, woman and child, came hurrying to the spot in such short order that, when Ben threw himself between the two, a circle was already formed about the belligerents.
Ezra addressed Ben in gypsy patter. His words were few. Ben nodded.