,
bulky. He did not make one catch one's breath. And brown. And
Perry's whiteness! She took her lower lip between her teeth.

"Time!" the trainer called.

She cried sharply aloud.

The sound came unsummoned, in spite of herself.

Why, they had just been standing there together--just talking--just
laughing--just boys! But with that signal they had exploded into
action. No other word could hope to convey that sudden burst of motion.

They touched gloves! She followed that. English tried to hit him!
She followed that. And then thud! thud! thud! She could not beat as
swiftly with one fist the palm of her other hand as Perry's glove
struck thrice the welter's face.

Thud! thud! thud! And skip and shuffle--thud! And a straining,
desperate embrace.

"Oh, he's so much bigger," she heard herself wailing. "He's _so_ much
bigger!"

And the trainer, remembering through it all her presence:

"Watch it! Watch it! Watch--that--left--hand!"

She saw then that it was Perry's short, jabbing, stiff left forearm
which perplexed the heavier man. She saw the latter set himself to
swing, and take it in the face, and go off balance. And set and take
it again. And she didn't cry out any more. She leaned forward, so
tensely set herself in every muscle that she found she was tired when
the trainer stopped it.

"Time!"

The trainer she learned then was not pleased. He snarled at Jack
English. But English only grinned.

"Slow!" he said. "Slow! Oh, boy! So'd you look slow trying to pace
the Empire State Express."

And there was more. Faster, faster and faster. And cruder! He could
never tell her again that this was merely sport. And English _was_
bigger and his size did count. At the last he seemed barely to snap
his right gloved hand forward, and Perry staggered back.

"Time!"

She thanked God, out loud, for that.

Perry stood for a while, his back toward her, sagging against the
ropes. And English, one hand on his shoulder, was talking to him.

"Is he hurt?" she weakly asked the trainer.

He gave her a fleet glance.

"Some. Not bad." And louder to the other two:

"That's plenty."

A second later Perry nodded across the room to her and went to dress.
But Jack English slid through the ropes and approached. There was some
blood on his lip, and he wiped it away. She marveled at so little sign
of conflict. He came straight to her, glistening with sweat. The
trainer threw him a robe, whi