aggerated bow.

We omitted to say that our hero passed among the paupers by his
Christian name, which he had given as being, from its very universality,
the best possible _alias_.

A few minutes later Stoker entered and went to the fire, where loud,
angry voices soon told that the bully was at his old game of
peace-disturber. Presently a cry of "shame" was heard, and poor Zook
was seen lying on the floor with his nose bleeding.

"Who cried shame?" demanded the bully, looking fiercely round.

"_I_ did not," said Charlie Brooke, striding towards him, "for I did not
know it was you who knocked him down, but I _do_ cry shame on you now,
for striking a man so much smaller than yourself, and without
provocation, I warrant."

"An' pray who are _you_?" returned Stoker, in a tone that was meant to
be witheringly sarcastic.

"I am one who likes fair play," said Charlie, restraining his anger, for
he was still anxious to throw oil on the troubled waters, "and if you
call it fair play for a heavy-weight like you to attack such a
light-weight as Zook, you must have forgotten somehow that you are an
Englishman. Come, now, Stoker, say to Zook you are sorry and won't
worry him any more, and I'm sure he'll forgive you!"

"Hear! hear!" cried several of the on-lookers.

"Perhaps I _may_ forgive 'im," said Zook, with a humorous leer, as he
wiped his bleeding nose--"I'd do a'most anything to please Charlie!"

This was received with a general laugh, but Stoker did not laugh; he
turned on our hero with a look of mingled pity and contempt.

"No, Mister Charlie," he said, "I won't say I'm sorry, because I'd tell
a big lie if I did, and I'll worry him just as much as I please. But
I'll tell 'e what I'll do. If you show yourself as ready wi' your
bunches o' fives as you are wi' yer tongue, and agree to fight me, I'll
say to Zook that I'm sorry and won't worry 'im any more."

There was dead silence for a minute after the delivery of this
challenge, and much curiosity was exhibited as to how it would be taken.
Charlie cast down his eyes in perplexity. Like many big and strong men
he was averse to use his superior physical powers in fighting. Besides
this, he had been trained by his mother to regard it as more noble to
suffer than to avenge insults, and there is no doubt that if the bully's
insult had affected only himself he would have avoided him, if possible,
rather than come into conflict. Having been trained, also, to let
Sc