once more failed to understand.

"Comment?" queried Ciccio, in his slow, derisive way.

"_Comment_!" sneered Max, in echo. "_What?_ _What?_ Why what _did_ I
say? Calf's-head I said. Pig's-head, if that seems more suitable to
you."

"To whom? To me or to you?" said Ciccio, sidling up.

"To you, lout of an Italian."

Max's colour was up, he held himself erect, his brown hair seemed to
rise erect from his forehead, his blue eyes glared fierce.

"That is to say, to me, from an uncivilized German pig, ah? ah?"

All this in French. Alvina, as she sat at the piano, saw Max tall
and blanched with anger; Ciccio with his neck stuck out, oblivious
and convulsed with rage, stretching his neck at Max. All were in
ordinary dress, but without coats, acting in their shirt-sleeves.
Ciccio was clutching a property knife.

"Now! None of that! None of that!" said Mr. May, peremptory. But
Ciccio, stretching forward taut and immobile with rage, was quite
unconscious. His hand was fast on his stage knife.

"A dirty Eyetalian," said Max, in English, turning to Mr. May. "They
understand nothing."

But the last word was smothered in Ciccio's spring and stab. Max
half started on to his guard, received the blow on his collar-bone,
near the pommel of the shoulder, reeled round on top of Mr. May,
whilst Ciccio sprang like a cat down from the stage and bounded
across the theatre and out of the door, leaving the knife rattling
on the boards behind him. Max recovered and sprang like a demon,
white with rage, straight out into the theatre after him.

"Stop--stop--!" cried Mr. May.

"Halte, Max! Max, Max, attends!" cried Louis and Geoffrey, as Louis
sprang down after his friend. Thud went the boards again, with the
spring of a man.

Alvina, who had been seated waiting at the piano below, started up
and overturned her chair as Ciccio rushed past her. Now Max, white,
with set blue eyes, was upon her.

"Don't--!" she cried, lifting her hand to stop his progress. He saw
her, swerved, and hesitated, turned to leap over the seats and avoid
her, when Louis caught him and flung his arms round him.

"Max--attends, ami! Laisse le partir. Max, tu sais que je t'aime. Tu
le sais, ami. Tu le sais. Laisse le partir."

Max and Louis wrestled together in the gangway, Max looking down
with hate on his friend. But Louis was determined also, he wrestled
as fiercely as Max, and at last the latter began to yield. He was
panting and beside himself. Louis s