"Very kind of you, Spike!"

"There's Mrs. Trapes 'cross d'landing; she lost her lodger last
week--mean guy skinned off without paying d' rent--she might take you."

"Across the landing? She'll do!" nodded Mr. Ravenslee.

"But I'm wonderin' if _you'll_ do; she's a holy terror when she likes,
Geoff."

"Across the landing? I'll put up with her!" murmured Mr. Ravenslee.

"But, say, you don't know Mrs. Trapes."

"Not yet, Spike."

"Well, she ain't no easy mark, Geoff! Most everybody in Mulligan's is
scared of her when she cuts loose; she can talk ye deaf, dumb an'
paralysed, she can so. She sure is aces up on d' chin-music, Geoff!"

"But then she lives just opposite, and that circumstance, methinks, doth
cover a multitude of--" Mr. Ravenslee yawned again.

"Anyway, it's a sure thing she won't take you if she don't like ye,
Geoff."

"Why, then, she must like me!" said Mr. Ravenslee and proceeded to light
his pipe; whereupon Spike produced a box of cigarettes, but, in the act
of lighting one, paused, and sighing, put it away again.

"I promised d' Spider I wouldn't, Geoff," he explained. "Y' see, I'm
sort of in trainin', and Spider says smoke's bad for d' wind, and d'
Spider knows."

"Spider?" said Mr. Ravenslee, glancing up, "do you mean Spider Connolly
the lightweight?"

"That's d' guy!" nodded Spike.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"Sure! Him an' Bud M'Ginnis is goin' to get me some good matches soon."

"Boxing matches?"

"That's what they call 'em, Geoff--but there ain't much boxin' to it;
real boxin' don't go down wid d' sports, it's d' punch they wanter
see--good, stiff wallops as jars a guy an' makes his knees get
wobbly--swings and jolts as makes a guy blind an' deaf an' sick. Oh,
I been like that, an' I know--an' it ain't all candy t' hear everybody
yellin' to the other guy to go in an' finish ye!"

"Does your sister know you fight?"

"Not much, she don't! I guess she'd like me to be a mommer's pet in lace
collars an' a velvet suit, an' soft an' pretty in me talk. She's made
me promise t' cut out d' tough-spiel, an' so I'm tryin' to--"

"Are you really, Spike?"

"Well--when she's around I do, Geoff!"

"And she doesn't like you to fight, eh?"

"Nope! But y' see--she's only a girl, Geoff!"

"And that's the wonder of it!" nodded Mr. Ravenslee.

"Wonder? What d' ye mean?"

"I mean that all these years she has managed to feed you, and clothe
you, and keep a comfortable home for you, and sh