“Take your hulking carcass out of the path of a gentleman,” said Wingfield to Adam.
“Gentleman?” inquired Adam. “Where is he? I do not see him.”
“Do you dare to insult your betters, you base-born cub?”
“Base-born!” yelled Adam. “My ancestors come from better stock than yours, seeing they were honest men.”
“Honest men? Why, you cannot look an honest man in the face.”
“I will tell you how that happened,” replied Adam, restored to good humor by the thrust he had given Wingfield. “Originally both eyes looked in the same direction, but whenever I was talking to an honest man I had to keep one eye upon the rogue. The strain was too much and they parted company. The blue eye, being the keener, I keep fixed on rogues, and if you observe closely, you will see that my brown eye is looking up the stream. I leave you to guess the direction of the blue one. I’ll tell you something else. If you do not keep your paw out of a certain little matter we both know of, John Laydon will send you to feed the fishes.”
Ripping out his sword, Wingfield made a thrust at Adam. Laydon, who had just come up behind, caught the sword as it descended, and wrenching it out of his hand, hurled it into the bushes. Without further parley, he fell upon Wingfield and pounded him unmercifully. The ex-President’s rage made him forget the social distance between the carpenter and the gentleman, and he gave blow for blow in return. Adam, watching every advantage, and with head lowered, charged upon Wingfield from behind like a battering-ram.
The noise and scuffle brought President Smith hurriedly to the spot.
“Stop! I command you,” he thundered.
The enraged combatants sullenly parted, and Wingfield began a tirade of abuse against low-born scullions who presumed to strike a gentleman.