The allusion to "last time" was lost upon Sheen, but he saw that it had not improved Stanning's position with the spectators.
He opened the door.
"Good bye, Stanning," he said.
"If I hadn't hurt my wrist—" Stanning began.
"Hurt your wrist!" said Sheen. "You got a bad attack of Peteiro. That was what was the matter with you."
"You think that every one's a funk like yourself," said Stanning.
"Pity they aren't," said Linton; "we should do rather well down at Aldershot. And he wasn't such a terror after all, Sheen, was he? You beat him in two and a half rounds, didn't you? Think what Stanning might have done if only he hadn't sprained his poor wrist just in time.
"Look here, Linton—"
"Some are born with sprained wrists," continued the speaker, "some achieve sprained wrists—like Stanning—"
Stanning took a step towards him.