n something called Buttar out of the room, and
Ernest was left without an antagonist.

"Come, young gentleman, you are both good fencers. Try a pass of arms
together," said Mr Strutt, the fencing-master. "Oh, you must not draw
back; I shall fancy you are afraid of each other if you do. Come, take
your foils and begin."

Blackall hesitated. He had not exchanged a word with Ernest since the
day he had received his flogging, and he hoped never to have to speak to
him again.

"Perhaps Blackall would rather not fence with me, sir," observed Ernest
to the fencing-master.

"Oh, nonsense, nonsense. Take up your foil and begin," was the answer
he received.

"I am ready to fence with you. Come here in this corner of the room,
out of the way," said Blackall suddenly.

Ernest followed him. He remarked that there was a peculiarly evil look
in his eye. He did not, however, unfortunately, observe what he was
about with his foil in the corner.

"Now, young gentlemen, attention," cried Mr Strutt to some of his
pupils, whose exercise he was superintending, and the words Quarte,
Tierce, Seconde, Demi-circle, Contre de Quarte, Contre de Tierce, and so
on, were heard resounding through the room.

"Come, let us begin, and have no child's play," exclaimed Blackall with
vehemence, throwing himself into the attitude to engage. He made
several rapid passes, which Ernest parried dexterously. As he did so,
he observed that his adversary's foil had no button on it. Still he
thought that it was the result of accident; and as he had very little
fear of Blackall's hitting him, he did not deign at first to take notice
of it. Something, however, he observed in the expression of his
opponent's eye made him doubt the wisdom of this delicacy.

"Blackall," he cried out, parrying a desperate thrust at his breast,
your foil has no button. "Were you to hit me, you might injure me very
much."

"What care I?" answered Blackall. "I'll pay my debts, depend on that.
Take that--and that--and that!" As he spoke he lunged rapidly at
Ernest, who as rapidly turned aside the point of his weapon. Still
Blackall was no bad fencer, and Ernest had the greatest difficulty in
defending himself. Now he had to guard against a straight thrust, now
against a disengagement, now the beat and thrust, now the cut over the
point, and now the double. He saw that it would be too dangerous to
attack himself; indeed, his only wish was to disarm his adversary,