re not
present to do it yourself."

Captain Oliphant turned white, and red, and black in succession.

"You knocked a visitor of mine--"

"Down twice," said the tutor, helping himself to sugar.

"Oh, what a lark!" exclaimed Tom. "Oh, I wish I'd been up too. Was it
a good mill, I say? How many rounds? Six? Why ever didn't you come
and tell me, Jill?"

"Be quiet, Tom," said Jill.

"Did you get him clean on the jaw, I say?" persisted Tom, "like the
one--"

"Hold your tongue, sir," said his father peremptorily. "Mr Armstrong,
I must ask you to explain this matter later; this is not the place for
such talk."

"Quite so. I regret the matter was referred to. Tom, be good enough to
pass Miss Oliphant the toast."

Tom could scarcely be induced to take the hint, and talked at large on
the science of boxing during the remainder of the meal with an access of
high spirits which, on any other occasion, would have been amusing.

Mr Ratman, later in the day, appeared with a decidedly marred visage,
and announced with the best grace he could that an important business
letter that morning necessitated his return to London.

In private he explained himself more fully to his host.

"If this is what you call making me comfortable," growled he, with an
unusual number of oaths interspersed in his sentence, "you've a pretty
notion of your own interests."

"My dear fellow, how could I help it?"

"You can help it now, and you'll have to. I may be only a creditor, but
I'll let you see I am not going to be treated in this house like a dog,
for all that."

"The awkward thing is that if you had behaved--"

"Shut up about how I behaved," snarled the other. "You'll have to clear
that cad out of the way here. I'll not come back till you do; and till
I do come back you're sitting on a volcano."

"My dear fellow, you will spoil everything if you take such an absurd
view of the matter--really you will. Of course I'll put you right. You
are my guest. But remember my difficult position here."

"It will be a precious deal more difficult for you soon. I can promise
you," said Mr Ratman, lifting his hand to his swollen eye with an oath.
"Now then, I'll give you a month. If you're not rid of this fellow by
then, and aren't a good deal nearer than you are now to squaring up with
me, you'll be sorry you ever heard my name."

"I'm that already," said the captain. "I can promise nothing; but I'll
do what I can."

"You'll h