It was apparent to Patsy in a moment that the young man was no novice at the game of the fists.
Indeed, he was an adept in the art of boxing and, for a moment or two, Patsy was kept quite busy in defending himself.
In the meantime, the young woman was a silent and inactive witness.
After the first few moments of surprise had passed, and, as he thought, he had obtained the measure of the young man, Patsy changed his tactics from defending himself to going at the other one fiercely.
He soon demonstrated his superiority, and was fast overcoming the young man, when, to Patsy’s intense astonishment, the young woman danced up at him in approved pugilistic fashion and landed a stinging blow in his face.
The young detective was astonished at the force behind the blow. Though he was busy with the young man, he did not fail to observe that the young woman, lady, and daughter of wealth as she seemed to be, was, nevertheless, a good deal of a boxer.
“Hello!” said Patsy to himself. “I have heard of these women athletes among the swells, but this is the first one I ever saw.”
In the meantime, the young woman was dancing up, letting out a blow, dancing away again to come back with another blow.
Some of these blows landed on Patsy’s shoulder and chest, blows which the young fellow cared nothing for. But some of them came too close to his eyes and mouth to be comfortable.
Patsy hardly knew how to deal with this assailant. While boxing with the young man, he had warded off a number of the blows of the young woman, and, though opportunity was given him, he had returned none, nor had he even attempted to.