“Why—don’t you know?” he innocently enquired. “You see, our little Ethel had been setting her cap at Sir Arthur Fletcher for months before she saw your brother. But Arthur knows what’s what, and the little darling has had to put up with a mere captain of the Guides. But she still hankers after the commissioner, and sighs for the handle to her name.”
“Ye leein’ hyæna!” Paterson burst out, his native dialect rising to the surface in his excitement. “Keep a ceevil tongue in your heid, or I’ll knock ye down!”
“No, you don’t, Paterson,” broke in Ted. “That’s my business. You cad, to lie like that about a girl you’re not fit to speak to! Take that!”
Our ensign struck his comrade across the face—a resounding smack with the open palm.
The fight was very short. Though tall enough, Tynan was weedy and unfit. For several years he had considered himself a man of the world, and one of the chief aims—if not the chief—of his life had been to convince his associates that he was well qualified for that dignified position, and the attainment of this object had, of course, necessitated abundant smoking and drinking. Wonderful to relate, no one had so far seemed greatly impressed!
Five minutes after the first blow, with bleeding nose and damaged eye, the contemptible fellow was sullenly admitting that he had had enough.
“Think it over the nicht,” Paterson suggested. “If ye hev not I’ll just gie ye seemilar satisfaction. And I’d hev ye obsairve it wad be safer to cam’ oot wi’ no mair lees o’ that sort. Cam’ awa’, Russell!”
“Wait a moment, I’ve not done yet,” said Ted. “Let me inform you now, you cad, what I would not waste my breath in telling you before—that Miss Woodburn had refused Sir Arthur Fletcher before she became engaged to my brother, and that he has congratulated my brother, and is a loyal, honourable gentleman, of whose friendship Miss Woodburn is proud; and don’t let me hear you speaking of her again as you did just now.”
The chums left the miserable being—neither man nor boy—to follow as he chose.
“What garred ye say that last, Russell?” asked the Scottish lad, who was still labouring under strong excitement, as soon as they had passed out of hearing.