e so much paper,
and both men tumbled over into the landing-place below amid a great
scattering of splinters. Lighting on their feet, they began to pummel
each other without doing more damage than a couple of children, for they
were at such close quarters and so blinded by rage that they hit wild;
but Benson had caught his man by the throat again and was just getting
him into chancery, when White, Sedley, and some of the Southerners,
attracted by the noise, ran down stairs, calling on the "gentlemen" to
"behave as such," and words proving ineffectual, endeavoring to pull
them apart; which was no easy matter, for Benson hung on like grim
death, and when his hand was removed from Hunter's collar, caught him
again by the nose, nor would he give up till Mr. Simson, who was one of
the stoutest and most active men in the place, caught him up from behind
and fairly carried him off to the hall below. Then he seemed to come to
himself all at once, and recollected that he had invited the remains of
"our set" to supper that night. And accordingly, after taking a rapid
survey of himself in a glass, and finding that his face bore no mark of
the conflict, and that his dress was not more disordered than a man's
usually is when he has been polkaing all the evening, he went off to
meet his company, and a very merry time they had of it. Ashburner was
surprised to find that the spectators of the fray were able to ignore it
so completely. If they had been old men and old soldiers, they could not
have acted with more discretion, and it was impossible to suspect from
their conversation or manner that any thing unpleasant had occurred.
"These people do know how to hold their tongues sometimes," thought he.

Next morning while strolling about before breakfast (he was the earliest
riser of the young men in the place, as he did not dance or gamble), he
heard firing in the pistol-gallery. He thought of his conversation with
Benson and the occurrences of last night, and then recollected that he
was out of practice himself, and that there would be no harm in trying a
few shots. So he strode over to the gallery, and there, to his
astonishment, found on one side of the door the keeper, on the other
Frank Sumner (who had given a most devoted proof of friendship by
getting up two hours earlier in the morning than he had ever been known
to do before); and between them Benson, blazing away at the figure, and
swearing at himself for not making better shots