"Well, he qualified the statement, but his way of saying it was as offensive as the direct lie could have been."
"So you're bent on fighting Darry?"
"I am."
"Too bad!" muttered Hallam, shaking his head.
"Are you anxious for your idol?" asked Pen in a disagreeable tone.
"No, Penny; it's you that I'm concerned about in my own mind. You're going next to a very hard proposition. Darry is patient—almost as patient as the proverbial camel—but when he fights he fights! You'll be hammered to a pulp, Pen."
"Pooh!"
"No one has yet beaten Darrin at a fist fight."
"There always has to be a first time, you know."
"And you think you're It?"