He was roused from his reverie by an altercation unmistakeably fierce.

Raikes had been touched on a tender point.  In reply to a bantering remark of his, Laxley had hummed over bits of his oration, amid the chuckles of his comrades.  Unfortunately at a loss for a biting retort, Raikes was reduced to that plain confession of a lack of wit; he offered combat.

’I ‘ll tell you what,’ said Laxley, ’I never soil my hands with a blackguard; and a fellow who tries to make fun of Scripture, in my opinion is one.  A blackguard—­do you hear?  But, if you’ll give me satisfactory proofs that you really are what I have some difficulty in believing the son of a gentleman—­I ’ll meet you when and where you please.’

‘Fight him, anyhow,’ said Harry.  ’I ’ll take him myself after we finish the match to-morrow.’

Laxley rejoined that Mr. Raikes must be left to him.

‘Then I’ll take the other,’ said Harry.  ‘Where is he?’

Evan walked round to his place.

‘I am here,’ he answered, ‘and at your service.’

‘Will you fight?’ cried Harry.

There was a disdainful smile on Evan’s mouth, as he replied:  ’I must first enlighten you.  I have no pretensions to your blue blood, or yellow.  If, sir, you will deign to challenge a man who is not the son of a gentleman, and consider the expression of his thorough contempt for your conduct sufficient to enable you to overlook that fact, you may dispose of me.  My friend here has, it seems, reason to be proud of his connections.  That you may not subsequently bring the charge against me of having led you to “soil your hands”—­as your friend there terms it—­I, with all the willingness in the world to chastise you or him for your impertinence, must first give you a fair chance of escape, by telling you that my father was a tailor.’

The countenance of Mr. Raikes at the conclusion of this speech was a painful picture.  He knocked the table passionately, exclaiming: 

‘Who’d have thought it?’

Yet he had known it.  But he could not have thought it possible for a man to own it publicly.

Indeed, Evan could not have mentioned it, but for hot fury and the ale.  It was the ale in him expelling truth; and certainly, to look at him, none would have thought it.

‘That will do,’ said Laxley, lacking the magnanimity to despise the advantage given him, ’you have chosen the very best means of saving your skins.’

’We ‘ll come to you when our supply of clothes runs short,’ added Harry.  ‘A snip!’

‘Pardon me!’ said Evan, with his eyes slightly widening, ’but if you come to me, I shall no longer give you a choice of behaviour.  I wish you good-night, gentlemen.  I shall be in this house, and am to be found here, till ten o’clock to-morrow morning.  Sir,’ he addressed the chairman, ’I must apologize to you for this interruption to your kindness, for which I thank you very sincerely.  It ‘s “good-night,” now, sir,’ he pursued, bowing, and holding out his hand, with a smile.