call him out, and, if so, would it be incumbent on him to fight a duel with pistols?  What would Lord De Guest say—­Lord De Guest, who had specially warned him not to take upon himself the duty of avenging Lily’s wrongs?  What would all the Dale family say of his conduct?  And, above all, what would Lily say and think?  Nevertheless, the feeling of triumph was predominant; and now, at this interval of time, he was beginning to remember with pleasure the sensation of his fist as it went into Crosbie’s eye.

During his first day at the office he heard nothing about the affair, nor did he say a word of it to any one.  It was known in his room that he had gone down to spend his Christmas holiday with Lord De Guest, and he was treated with some increased consideration accordingly.  And, moreover, I must explain, in order that I may give Johnny Eames his due, he was gradually acquiring for himself a good footing among the Income-tax officials.  He knew his work, and did it with some manly confidence in his own powers, and also with some manly indifference to the occasional frowns of the mighty men of the department.  He was, moreover, popular—­being somewhat of a radical in his official demeanour, and holding by his own rights, even though mighty men should frown.  In truth, he was emerging from his hobbledehoyhood and entering upon his young manhood, having probably to go through much folly and some false sentiment in that period of his existence, but still with fair promise of true manliness beyond to those who were able to read the signs of his character.

Many questions on that first day were asked him about the glories of his Christmas, but he had very little to say on the subject.  Indeed nothing could have been much more commonplace than his Christmas visit, had it not been for the one great object which had taken him down to that part of the country, and for the circumstance with which his holiday had been ended.  On neither of these subjects was he disposed to speak openly; but as he walked home to Burton Crescent with Cradell, he did tell him of the affair with Crosbie.

“And you went in at him on the station?” asked Cradell, with admiring doubt.

“Yes I did.  If I didn’t do it there, where was I to do it?  I’d said I would, and therefore when I saw him I did it.”  Then the whole affair was told as to the black eye, the police, and the superintendent.  “And what’s to come next?” asked our hero.

“Well, he’ll put it in the hands of a friend, of course; as I did with Fisher in that affair with Lupex.  And, upon my word, Johnny, I shall have to do something of the kind again.  His conduct last night was outrageous; would you believe it—­”

“Oh, he’s a fool.”

“He’s a fool you wouldn’t like to meet when he’s in one of his mad fits, I can tell you that.  I absolutely had to sit up in my own bedroom all last night.  Mother Roper told me that if I remained in the drawing-room she would feel herself obliged to have a policeman in the house.  What could I do, you know?  I made her have a fire for me, of course.”