“Never!” cried Ralph, pinning his arms.

“Hold me, sir! or I will at once inflict condign punishment upon this individual!”

“Certainly,” said Ralph, beginning to laugh.  “I will hold you; I thought you said release you!”

“I did, sir!” cried Mr. Jinks, making a very faint effort to get at Verty.

“Which shall I do?”

“I will murder him!” cried Mr. Jinks, struggling with more energy, from the fact that Ralph had grasped him more tightly.

“Jinks!  Jinks! you a murderer!”

“I have been wronged!” said the champion, brandishing his sword.

“Oh, no.”

“The respectable Mrs. Scowley has been insulted!”

“You are mistaken!”

“The divine Sallianna has been charged with falsehood!”

“A mere jest.”

“Let me run the villain through!”

And Mr. Jinks made a terrific lunge with his sword at Verty, and requested Mr. Ashley to hold him tight, unless he wished to see the Bower of Nature swimming in “gory blood!”

The colloquy we have faithfully reported, took place in far less time than we have taken to narrate it.

Redbud had hastened forward with terror in her face, Fanny with bewilderment—­lastly, Miss Sallianna had rushed up to the spot with a scream; the various personages came together just when Mr. Jinks uttered his awful threat in relation to “gory blood.”

“Oh, Verty!” said Redbud.

Verty smiled.

“Alphonso!” cried Miss Sallianna, with distraction.

Alphonso Jinks made overwhelming efforts to get at his enemy.

“Please don’t fight—­for my sake, Verty!” murmured Redbud, with pale lips.

“Spare him, Alphonso!” cried Miss Sallianna, with a shake of agony in her voice; “spare his youth, and do not take opprobrious revenge!”

“He has wronged me!” cried Mr. Jinks.

“Pardon him, Alphonso!”

“He has insulted you!”

“I forgive him!” cried Miss Sallianna.

“I will have revenge!”

And Mr. Jinks brandished his sword, and kept at a distance from Verty, making a feint of struggling.

“Jinks,” said Ralph, “you are tiring me out.  I shall let you go in another second, if you don’t put up that sword, and stop wrestling with me!”

This threat seemed to moderate Mr. Jinks’ rage, and he replied: 

“This momentary anger is over, sir—­I forgive, that young man—­Sallianna! beautiful Sallianna! for thy sake!”

But overcome with nerves, and the revulsion produced by this change in affairs, the beautiful Sallianna’s head drooped upon one shoulder, her eyes were closed, and her arms were extended towards Mr. Jinks.

Before that gentleman was aware of the fact, Miss Sallianna had been overcome by nerves, and reclined in a faint state upon his bosom.

We need not detail the remaining particulars of the scene whose outline we have traced.