out-facing his disgrace by a callous grin. Cashel, without speaking,
offered Lydia his arm; and she, seeing that her best course was to
get away from that place with as few words as possible, accepted it,
and then turned and thanked the butcher, who blushed and became
speechless. The little man whose exclamation had interrupted the
combat, now waved his hat, and cried,

"The British Lion forever! Three cheers for Cashel Byron."

Cashel turned upon him curtly, and said, "Don't you make so free
with other people's names, or perhaps you may get into trouble
yourself."

The little man retreated hastily; hut the crowd responded with three
cheers as Cashel, with Lydia on his arm, withdrew through a lane of
disreputable-looking girls, roughs of Teddy's class, white-aproned
shopmen who had left their counters to see the fight, and a few pale
clerks, who looked with awe at the prize-fighter, and with wonder at
the refined appearance of his companion. The two were followed by a
double file of boys, who, with their eyes fixed earnestly on Cashel,
walked on the footways while he conducted Lydia down the middle of
the narrow street. Not one of them turned a somersault or uttered a
shout. Intent on their hero, they pattered along, coming into
collision with every object that lay in their path. At last Cashel
stopped. They instantly stopped too. He took some bronze coin from
his pocket, rattled it in his hand, and addressed them.

"Boys!" Dead silence. "Do you know what I have to do to keep up my
strength?" The hitherto steadfast eyes wandered uneasily. "I have to
eat a little boy for supper every night, the last thing before to