dous
change in a man. I had laughed at him under peculiar conditions: very
well, then; he was a demon. Thrice my point pricked him to keep him
off, and thrice my heart was in my mouth that he would come on
regardless. The blood oozed out on his white ruffled shirt; he was
panting heavily, and his eyes rolled. He was a terrible sight to face.
At last I again touched him, and this time sharply and in the sword
arm, and upon the instant my Lord Strepp knocked our blades apart.

"Enough," he cried sternly. "Back, Colonel! Back!"

The Colonel flung himself sobbing into his friend's arms, choking out,
"O God, Strepp! I couldn't reach him. I couldn't reach him, Strepp!
Oh, my God!"

At the same time I disappeared, so to speak, in the embrace of my
red-headed villain, who let out an Irish howl of victory that should
have been heard at Glandore. "Be quiet, rascal," I cried, flinging him
off. But he went on with his howling until I was obliged forcibly to
lead him to a corner of the field, where he exclaimed:

"Oh, your honour, when I seen the other gentleman, all blazing with
rage, rush at you that way, and me with not so much as a tuppence for
all my service to you excepting these fine clothes and the sword,
although I am thinking I shall have little to do with swords if this
is the way they do it, I said, 'Sorrow the day England saw me!'"

If I had a fool for a second, Colonel Royale had a fine, wise young
man. Lord Strepp was dealing firmly and coolly with his maddened
principal.

"I can fight with my left hand," the Colonel was screaming. "I tell
you, Strepp, I am resolved! Don't bar my way! I will kill him! I will
kill him!"

"You are not in condition to fight," said the undisturbed young man.
"You are wounded in four places already. You are in my hands. You will
fight no more to-day."

"But, Strepp!" wailed the Colonel. "Oh, my God, Strepp!"

"You fight no more to-day," said the young lord.

Then happened unexpected interruptions. Paddy told me afterward that
during the duel a maid had looked over a wall and yelled, and dropped
a great brown bowl at sight of our occupation. She must have been the
instrument that aroused the entire county, for suddenly men came
running from everywhere. And the little boys! There must have been
little boys from all over England.

"What is it? What is it?"

"Two gentlemen have been fighting!"

"Oh, aye, look at him with the blood on him!"

"Well, and there is young my Lord