“You’ve quite made up your minds?”
“Yes,” said Stone.
“Right,” said Adair quietly, and knocked him down.
He was up again in a moment. Adair had pushed the table back, and was standing in the middle of the open space.
“You cad,” said Stone. “I wasn’t ready.”
“Well, you are now. Shall we go on?”
Stone dashed in without a word, and for a few moments the two might have seemed evenly matched to a not too intelligent spectator. But science tells, even in a confined space. Adair was smaller and lighter than Stone, but he was cooler and quicker, and he knew more about the game. His blow was always home a fraction of a second sooner than his opponent’s. At the end of a minute Stone was on the floor again.
He got up slowly and stood leaning with one hand on the table.
“Suppose we say ten past six?” said Adair. “I’m not particular to a minute or two.”
Stone made no reply.