im down and I fancy
I stunned him. At any rate he did not move, so I walked on. Of course it
may have been a mere vulgar attempt at murder and robbery, but from the
fact that this man followed me for some considerable distance I should
say it was not so, but a question of revenge. I don't know that anyone
in Paris has any cause of quarrel with me, but the idea afterwards
occurred to me that it might be that he took me for you. We are about
the same height, and if he was watching the house he might, when I came
out, mistake one for the other. Of course I have not a shadow of reason
for supposing that you have an enemy, but at any rate I thought it as
well to tell you about it, so that you might be on your guard, as I
shall certainly be, in the future."

Arnold was silent for a minute.

"I should not be surprised if you are right, Hartington; they are a
rough lot at Montmartre, and it is possible that I may, without knowing
it, have rubbed some of them the wrong way. I suppose you did not notice
what he was like?"

"No, it was too dark, and the whole affair too sudden for me to see
anything of the features. He was in a blouse with the low cap workmen
generally wear. I should say he stood four or five inches shorter than
we do--about five feet eight or so. He was a square-built fellow. If you
happen to come across him I fancy you may recognize him, not from my
description but from my handiwork. You see," and he pointed to his right
hand, which was wrapped up in an handkerchief, "I hit him hard and have
cut two of my knuckles pretty badly--I fancy against his teeth. If so,
I think it likely that two or three of them will be missing, and as a
man of that sort is hardly likely to go at once to a dentist to have the
gap filled up, it may prove a guide to you.

"For the next day or two his lips are sure to be swollen pretty badly.
Of course if you have no one in your mind's eye as being specially
likely to make an attempt upon your life these little things will afford
you no clue whatever, but if you have any sort of suspicion that one of
three or four men might be likely to have a grudge against you, they may
enable you to pick out the fellow who attempted my life. Of course I may
be mistaken altogether and the fellow may have been only an ordinary
street ruffian. Personally it won't make much difference to me, for I am
pretty handy with my fists, but as I know you have had no practice that
way, I recommend you always to c