burst out into a
hoarse laugh which was chorussed by the little crowd, and then stopped.

The spring which set Aleck's machinery in motion had been touched,
making him wheel round from the boy who had been driven against him,
make a spring at the great, grinning, prime aggressor, and bring his
coarse laugh to an end by delivering a stinging blow on the ear which
drove him sidewise, and made him stand shaking his head and thrusting
his finger inside his ear, as if to try and get rid of a peculiar
buzzing sound which affected him strangely.

There was a roar, and the boy who had been thrust against Aleck sprang
at him to inflict condign punishment upon the stranger who had dared to
strike his companion.

The attack was vigorous enough, but the attacker was unlucky, for he met
Aleck's bony fist on his way before he could use his own. Then he
clapped his open hands to his nose and stood staring in wonder, and
seemed to be trying to find out whether his nose had been flattened on
his face.

There was an ominous silence then, during which Aleck turned and walked
on down the slope in a quiet leisurely way, scorning to run, and even
slackening his pace to be on his guard as he reached the bottom of the
slope, for by that time the boys had recovered from their astonishment,
and were in full pursuit.

In another minute Aleck was surrounded by a roughly-formed crowding-in
ring, with the two lads who had tested the force of his blows eager to
obtain revenge, incited thereto by a score or two of voices urging them
to "give it him," "pay him," "let him have it," and the like.

The two biggest lads of the party then came on at Aleck at once; but, to
be just, it was from no cowardly spirit, but from each being urged by a
sheer vindictive desire to be first to obtain revenge for his blow.
Hence they were mastered by passion and came on recklessly against one
who was still perfectly cool and able to avoid the bigger fellow's
assault while he gave the other a back-handed blow which sent him
reeling away quite satisfied for the present and leaving the odds, so to
speak, more even in the continuation of the encounter.

Aleck was well on the alert, and, feeling that he was utterly
out-matched, he aimed at getting as far as the steps, where he would
have Tom Bodger for an ally, and the attack would come to an end; but he
was soon aware of the fact that to retire was impossible, hedged in as
he was by an excited ring of boys, and ther