ll over again in English, and I'll know what
you're talking about."

"English be----!" he broke out afresh, in a turgid mixture of tongues.
"Seducteur, amuseur! Where's our Nance? Gaderabotin, what have you done
with the girl? I know you, corrupteur! Running after men's wives--and
our Nance, too! See then--you touch la garche and I'll--"

"See here! We've had enough of this," said Gard, gripping him by the
shoulders and shaking him. "If you weren't drunk I'd thrash you within
an inch of your life, you brute. Come back when you're sober, and I'll
give you a lesson in manners."

Tom had been struggling to get his arms up. At last he wrenched himself
free and came on like a bull. One of his flailing fists caught Gard
across the face, flattening his nose and filling one eye with stars; the
other hand, trying to grip his opponent, ripped open his coat, tearing
away both button and cloth.

"You lout!" cried Gard, his blood up and dripping also from his nose.
"If you must have it, you shall;" and he squared up to him to administer
righteous punishment.

And then the futility of it came upon him. The man was three-parts
drunk, in no condition for a fight, scarce able to attempt even to
defend himself.

No punishment of Tom drunk would have the slightest moral effect on Tom
sober. He would remember nothing about it in the morning, except that he
had been knocked about.

When he received his next lesson in deportment it was Gard's earnest
desire and hope that it might prove a lasting and final one.

So he decided to postpone it, and contented himself with warding and
dodging his furious lunges and rushes, and gave him no blow in return.
Until, at last, after one or two heavy falls of his own occasioning, Tom
gave it up, spluttered a final commination on his opponent, and turned
to go home.

He went blunderingly down into the hollow way, and Gard stood watching
him in doubt.

It seemed hardly possible he could cross the Coupee in that state, and
he felt a sort of moral responsibility towards him. Much as he detested
him, he had no wish to see him go reeling over into Coupee bay.

So he set off after him to see him safely across, and Tom, hearing him
coming, groped in the crumbling side wall till he found a rock of size,
and sent it hurling up the path with another curse.

Then he blundered on, and Gard followed. And Tom stopped again by one of
the pinnacles and sought another rock, and flung it, and it dropped
slow