“Look out yourself!” retorted Clarence quickly. “What do you mean by shoving me?”
“I didn’t!” Tom answered.
“And I say you did!” snapped Clarence. “You did it on purpose, and I’ll make you wish you hadn’t!” He recovered himself and came rushing at Tom with clenched fists.
CHAPTER VI
OFF TO WEST POINT
Tom was taken almost completely by surprise when the attack came. It seemed so uncalled for, and so unnecessary. But Tom was not the one to stand and be struck without giving, in a measure, as good as he took, particularly when he was not in the wrong.
“I—I’ll show you!” muttered Clarence. He aimed a blow at Tom, but the latter cleverly dodged and Clarence nearly over-balanced himself, almost doing what he had wrongfully accused Tom of trying to do, and falling into the river.
“Soak him, Hawkesbury!” cried the cronies of the rich lad. “Give it to him good and proper!”
“I will! Watch me!” cried Clarence, and this time his blow landed in Tom’s face. The pain was stinging, for Clarence was no light hitter, but Tom came back instantly with as good a return.
In another moment the two boys were fighting, or rather, Clarence was attacking Tom, who defended himself vigorously. He was at a loss to account for the real savagery in the onslaught of the other. It was as though some great enmity were at the bottom of it, instead of being merely a fancied wrong on the part of Clarence.
The latter missed another heavy blow at Tom, who, in turn, countered, and swung so cleverly that Clarence was sent swinging backward against one of his companions.