here he
had fallen and here he would redeem himself by some act of exceptional
daring. Caught in this net, I hid behind the door-post and peered
around it through a protecting shield made by the Professor's
coat-tails. In the silence I could hear my heart beat.

There was one thing for the Professor to do now, and he did that well.
He gathered his scattered senses and stood quietly in the doorway,
smoking, leaving to the invaders the burden of action. Their
indecision gave him strength.

"The idea of my giving in to a crew like that," he said to me in a
steady voice. "It's a pity Mr. Pound didn't come, and your father too,
David, that they might see how little I cared for their warrants."
Then, to show how undisturbed he was by their presence, he called to
them pleasantly: "Good morning, gentlemen."

This mild greeting gave courage to our foes and Stacy Shunk advanced.
His coming was a sign that reason was to be used before force, and with
his first step he began to gesticulate and to protest his friendly
purpose. But he could not argue with any acumen while his bare feet
were traversing a carpet of briers, and a silence followed, broken by
exclamations as he came on slowly but resolutely as though he walked on
eggs. Half-way over the clearing he stopped with a cry of pain, and
the herald's mission was forgotten in the search for a thorn. The
picture of Stacy Shunk balancing on one foot while he nursed the other
in his hands made the Professor laugh hilariously and he called to him
to hurry.

But Stacy would come no farther. He planted himself firmly on his
bleeding feet; his great black hat-brim hid his face, but the voice
which came from under it was soft, and he held out his hands as though
he offered his dear friend the protection of his arms.

"You know what these other fellows want, Professor, and you know I'd
only come along to help you. The whole thing was only a joke first
off, but you've gone and assaulted the constable, and there'll be
trouble if you don't settle it and be reasonable. Now, my advice
is----"

"Thank you for your advice, Stacy Shunk," exclaimed the Professor.
"But you know as well as I do that I have done nothing that I can be
arrested for."

"Of course I do," returned the herald. "But you hadn't otter upset the
preacher so. You'd otter believe what he says, and when he preaches
about Noah and the like you hadn't otter produce figures in public to
show that Noah and his bo