ion.

"What a beast!" cried Felix. "And he is her lover!"

"Just so," replied Ivan, indifferently.

"But you should interfere; you should not allow that pretty child to
be ill-used by the savage."

Ivan shrugged his shoulders. "He has the right; she is his betrothed,
and if I were to interfere he would beat her more. Besides, don't you
see he has been at the brandy flask? There would be no use in
reasoning with him."

"Well, I shall reason with him to some purpose," returned Felix. "I am
not going to stand by and see that pretty creature beaten."

"You will do no good, I warn you. The underground laborer has no
respect for men in black coats."

"We shall soon see as to that. Do me the favor to call out 'doctor' as
soon as you see me take the fellow by his arm."

As he spoke, the elegantly attired Felix rushed across the narrow
passage which led to the yard, and confronted the infuriated savage.

"You brute!" he cried. "Let go that girl. Why do you beat her?"

Saffran answered phlegmatically, "What is that to you? She is my
betrothed." He smelled fearfully of brandy.

"Ah, so you are thinking of marrying, are you?" returned Felix,
looking at the Hercules, to whose shoulder he hardly reached. "And how
is it that you are not on military service, my friend?"

The cord slipped from Peter's hand. "I could not pass," he said, in a
low voice. "I have it in black and white. I am not fit."

"Could not pass--not fit--when you can use your arms so well? Who was
the upright doctor that gave you that certificate in black and white?
Such muscles--" He touched with the tips of his gray gloves the
starting muscles on the brawny arm.

"Doctor!" called out Ivan.

When Peter heard this exclamation, and felt the pressure of Felix's
fingers, he let go his hold of Evila's hair. She was free.

"You just wait till to-morrow, young man," continued Felix, shaking
his cane before Peter's nose--"till to-morrow, and you shall have a
second examination. I shall be curious to find out what is the secret
impediment which makes _you_ unfit to serve your country. That is my
business here."

Peter began suddenly to squint.

Felix burst out laughing. "Two can play that game, young man," and he,
too, fell to squinting. "I shall pay you a visit to-morrow."

At this Peter took to his heels, and making one rush of it, was soon
over the wall of the yard, and never ceased running until he reached
the wood.

Ivan was astonished at the re