“I don’t want to take anybody out,” said Patsy.
“Then what are yer here for?”
Patsy looked at the girl and made a bluff.
“Well,” he said, laughing, “a feller can foller a pretty girl even if he is one of Nick Carter’s squad.”
If Patsy squared himself with this left-handed compliment with the girl he certainly did not with the young fellow.
“Say, dis goil is me sister,” he said, “an’ dere ain’t no chump goin’ to follow her up here. I’ll trow you downstairs.”
“Look out,” said the girl, “Patsy Murphy ain’t no easy thing.”
While this was going on, Patsy was trying hard to figure out how it was that he was known to this girl, whom he did not recollect ever having seen before.
Though the young man was threatening in his manner, he had as yet made no move to attack Patsy.
On his part, though, he was quite anxious to leave the house before any outbreak could occur, yet he saw that such was the position of the young man that if he were to attempt to go downstairs, he could be easily attacked from above and behind.