ut in gloom. The guests have all said their best things during the meal, and nothing is left but to smoke moodily and look at the clock. Our heroes were not of that me

card-rooms had no attractions on such a night. At last Gordon hit off a scent. "What do you say,"

wfully," said

Australian larrikin. What they call a basher in England, isn't it? e

-cunning about him. They go in gangs, and if you hit one of the gang, all the rest will 'deal with you,' as they call it. If they have to wait a year to g

" said the Englishman. "But we might g

the thing off. "You don't catch me going," he said. "There's nothing to be seen-just a lot of flash young rowdies dancing. You'll

ticular fancy-man on to you, don't you?" asked Gordon.

thing about it, assumed

aid 'em five shillings a step," he said. "There'd certainl

"Never fight if you can help it.

if I'm cornered, but it takes a man with a stockwhip to corner me. I never start fighting

the Englishman. "I don't supp

t it, Carew and Gordon sallied forth, a pair of men as capable of looking after thems

sir?" asked

g saloon," said

the cabman. "There ain't no part

thank you," said Gordon. "We want to go to one of those saloons wh

place I know. Git up, 'orse." And off they rattled through the quiet streets, turning corners and cross

ike their form exactly, and muttered something to a by-stander as they went in. They saw a long, low room, brilliantly lighted by flaring gas jets. Down one side, on wooden forms, was seated a row of flashily-dressed girls-larrikin-esses on their native heath, barmaids from cheap

ntlemen must not dance with nails in their

e notice. "Can't dance together, no matter ho

ound the bare throat. Their boots were marvels, very high in the heel and picked out with all sorts of colours down the sides. They looked "varminty" enough for anything; but the shifty eyes, low foreheads, and evil faces gave our two heroes a sense of disgust. The Englishman thought that all the stories he had heard of t

g eyes, apparently looking at nothing, and cont

"I'm afraid we can't show you anything very e

ady by the arm, jerked her to her feet without saying a syllable, and commenced to dance in slow, convulsive movements, making a great many revolutions for very little progress. Two or three g

Gordon. "Good-looking Tottie, too. Go a

econd. "I don't like asking a pe

on, "it's all righ

t absolutely stolid drawing-room manner, and walked across the ro

e of this dance?" he said,

e, but said nothing, the

e hair on his temples, and with elbows held out from his sides, shoulders hunched up, and under-jaw stuck well out, bore down on Carew and the girl, who were getting u

mmanding tones. "'Oo a

the girl, pertly, indicating the E

th 'im, are you? 'E bro

didn't,"

You know well en

as to be the favoured man. At last he felt it was hardly right for an Oxford man, and a triple blue at that, to be discussed in this cont

nce, and if she-er-will do

in, raising his voice as he warmed to his subject. "I brought 'er 'ere. I paid the shillin'. Now then, you take your 'oo

ervation. The band stopped playing, and the dancers crowded round. Word was passed down that it was a "toff darncin' w

your mate out o' this," he said. "These are the

y'll bite off more than they can chew if they interfere with him. This is just his

re's a row Nugget will spread him out as flat as a newspaper. They've all been in the ring in

g whether it was worth while to have a fight over a factory girl in a shilling dancing s

dropping all the laboured politeness ou

. The lights were turned out. Somebody in front hit him a terrific crack in the eye at the same moment that someone else administered a violent kick from the rea

then rolled down the rest of the stairs, over and over each other, grappling and clawing, each trying to tear

ly, but without result, except that a mob of faces looked out of the first-floor window and hooted, and a bucket of water was emptied over them. A crowd collec

got done in all

?" said another; and somebody from

mplated a rush among them. The cabman put an end to the performance. He was tranquil and unemotional, and he soothed them down a

forward and peered out into the darkness. They were nearly at the club before they

e of 'em," said the Englishman, with heartf

edn't say anything about it. If once it gets known that we were ch

in the eye," repli

'll get a few of the right sort to come with us, and we'll just go there quietly, as if we didn't mean an

a sickening sense of defeat, and without much conversation they retired to be

ng the money out of his clothes before his very eyes, he sprang out of bed with a bound and half-throttled the robber. Then, of course, it turned out that it was only the bedroom waiter, who was taking his clothes away to brush them. This contretemps, on top of the overnight mishap, made him determin

asked Charlie, as they

r a bit of a walk round town," he said. "Fact is," he added in a sudden burst of confidence, "I've bee

show out like this. We'd better be off to-day, and no one need know anything about it. Besides, I half-killed a waiter this morning. I thought he was some chap ste

akfast, and by tacit agreement avoi

went in. He didn't want to parade their injuries, and knew that Carew's eye would excite remark; bu

rt of chap, that new

t before. He's not such a fool as he lets on to be. Shouldn't

at the dancing sal

. Nothing worth

eting the Bo'sun or anybody, and before even