"Douglas, Douglas, your sword—your sword!" cried Walter, grasping the massive grating, and swinging on the bars like a madman, essaying in vain to wrench them from their solid wrests; but ere the words had left his lips, Lord Clermistonlee was staggered by a blow from the clenched hand of the cavalier, and Lilian was free.
"Fly, Annie," he exclaimed to his love; "away with Lilian Napier to the coach at the close head. The devil, girl—art thou doited,—off and leave me to deal with this tavern brawler. Fore George! I will truss his points in first rate fashion." The girls retired in terror, and Douglas unsheathed his rapier.
"Beware thee, villain," exclaimed the other, drawing his long bilbo with prompt bravery, and wrapping his mantle round the left arm. "I am a Lord of the Privy Council—to draw on me is treason."
"Were you King James himself, I would run you through the heart, for applying such an epithet to a gentleman of the House of Douglas."
"You will have it then—come on, plated varlet, and look well to guard and parry, for I am a first-rate swordsman."
Finland's cuirass rang with a rapier thrust from his assailant, who fell furiously to work, lunging like a madman, and exclaiming every time the fire sparked from their clanging blades,
"Bravo, bilbo! Excellent—come on again, Mr. Malapert, and I will teach thee to measure swords with Randal of Clermistonlee. Gads-o, fellow, thou art no novice in the science of fencing—crush me, what a thrust! well parried—
"With a hey lillelu, and a how——'
Damnation seize thee, man! how came that about!"
The sword of Finland, by one lucky parry had broken the Lord's rapier off by the hilt, and ripped up the skin of his sword-hand with such force that he staggered against the wall.