chair had been
turned upside down at the beginning of the contest. Having satisfied
himself that the blow had taken effect, Dumnoff proceeded to the other
side of the field of battle, avoiding the quickly moving bodies of the
Count and the porter as they wrestled with each other, and the mujik
prepared to deal another sledge-hammer blow, in all respects comparable
with the first. A pleasant smile beamed and spread over his broad, bony
face as he lifted his fist, and it is comparatively certain that he would
have put an effectual end to the struggle, had not Schmidt interfered with
the execution of his amiable intentions by catching his arm in mid-air.
Even the Cossack's wiry strength could not arrest the descent of the
tremendous fist, but he succeeded at least in diverting it from its aim,
so that it took effect in the middle of the porter's back, knocking most
of the wind out of the man's body and causing a diversion favourable to
the Count's security. Schmidt sprang in and separated the combatants.

"There has been enough dancing already," he said, coolly, as he faced the
porter, who was gasping for breath. "But if you have not danced enough, I
shall be happy to take a turn with you round the room."

The poor Count would, indeed, have been no match for his adversary without
the assistance of his friends. He possessed that sort of courage which,
when stung into activity by an insult, takes no account whatever of the
consequences, and his thin frame was animated by very excitable nerves.
But an exceedingly lean diet, and the habit of sitting during many hours
in a close atmosphere, rolling tobacco with his fingers, did not
constitute such a physical training as to make him a match for a rough
fellow whose occupation consisted in tramping long distances and up and
down long flights of stairs from morning till night, loaded with more or
less heavy burdens. He was now very pale and his heart beat painfully as
he endeavoured instinctively to smooth his long frock-coat, from which a
button had been torn out by the roots in a very apparent place, and to
settle his starched collar, which at the best of times owed its stability
to the secret virtues of a pin, and which at present had made a quarter of
a revolution upon itself, so that the stiffly-starched corners, the
Count's chief coquetry and pride, had established themselves in an
unseemly manner immediately below the left ear.

Meanwhile, the little restaurant was in an