The health of Master Harvey of Seymour's was so delicately constitutedthat it was an absolute necessity that he should consume one or morehot buns during the quarter of an hour's interval which split upmorning school. He was tearing across the junior gravel towards theshop on the morning following Trevor's sparring practice with O'Hara,when a melodious treble voice called his name. It was Renford. Hestopped, to allow his friend to come up with him, and then made as ifto resume his way to the shop. But Renford proposed an amendment.

　　"Don't go to the shop," he said, "I want to talk.""Well, can't you talk in the shop?""Not what I want to tell you. It's private. Come for a stroll."Harvey hesitated. There were few things he enjoyed so much as exclusiveitems of school gossip (scandal preferably), but hot new buns wereamong those few things. However, he decided on this occasion to feedthe mind at the expense of the body. He accepted Renford's invitation.

　　"What is it?" he asked, as they made for the football field. "What'sbeen happening?""It's frightfully exciting," said Renford.

　　"What's up?""You mustn't tell any one.""All right. Of course not.""Well, then, there's been a big fight, and I'm one of the only chapswho know about it so far.""A fight?" Harvey became excited. "Who between?"Renford paused before delivering his news, to emphasise the importanceof it.

　　"It was between O'Hara and Rand-Brown," he said at length.

　　"_By Jove!_" said Harvey. Then a suspicion crept into his mind.

　　"Look here, Renford," he said, "if you're trying to green me--""I'm not, you ass," replied Renford indignantly. "It's perfectly true.

　　I saw it myself.""By Jove, did you really? Where was it? When did it come off? Was it agood one? Who won?""It was the best one I've ever seen.""Did O'Hara beat him? I hope he did. O'Hara's a jolly good sort.""Yes. They had six rounds. Rand-Brown got knocked out in the middle ofthe sixth.""What, do you mean really knocked out, or did he just chuck it?""No. He was really knocked out. He was on the floor for quite a time.

　　By Jove, you should have seen it. O'Hara was ripping in the sixthround. He was all over him.""Tell us about it," said Harvey, and Renford told.

　　"I'd got up early," he said, "to feed the ferrets, and I was justcutting over to the fives-courts with their grub, when, just as I gotacross the senior gravel, I saw O'Hara and Moriarty standing waitingnear the second court. O'Hara knows all about the ferrets, so I didn'ttry and cut or anything. I went up and began talking to him. I noticedhe didn't look particularly keen on seeing me at first. I asked him ifhe was going to play fives. Then he said no, and told me what he'dreally come for. He said he and Rand-Brown had had a row, and they'dagreed to have it out that morning in one of the fives-courts. Ofcourse, when I heard that, I was all on to see it, so I said I'd wait,if he didn't mind. He said he didn't care, so long as I didn't telleverybody, so I said I wouldn't tell anybody except you, so he said allright, then, I could stop if I wanted to. So that was how I saw it.

　　Well, after we'd been waiting a few minutes, Rand-Brown came in sight,with that beast Merrett in our house, who'd come to second him. It wasjust like one of those duels you read about, you know. Then O'Hara saidthat as I was the only one there with a watch--he and Rand-Brown werein footer clothes, and Merrett and Moriarty hadn't got their tickers onthem--I'd better act as timekeeper. So I said all right, I would, andwe went to the second fives-court. It's the biggest of them, you know.

　　I stood outside on the bench, looking through the wire netting over thedoor, so as not to be in the way when they started scrapping. O'Haraand Rand-Brown took off their blazers and sweaters, and chucked them toMoriarty and Merrett, and then Moriarty and Merrett went and stood intwo corners, and O'Hara and Rand-Brown walked into the middle and stoodup to one another. Rand-Brown was miles the heaviest--by a stone, Ishould think--and he was taller and had a longer reach. But O'Haralooked much fitter. Rand-Brown looked rather flabby.

　　"I sang out 'Time' through the wire netting, and they started off atonce. O'Hara offered to shake hands, but Rand-Brown wouldn't. So theybegan without it.

　　"The first round was awfully fast. They kept having long rallies allover the place. O'Hara was a jolly sight quicker, and Rand-Brown didn'tseem able to guard his hits at all. But he hit frightfully hardhimself, great, heavy slogs, and O'Hara kept getting them in the face.

　　At last he got one bang in the mouth which knocked him down flat. Hewas up again in a second, and was starting to rush, when I looked atthe watch, and found that I'd given them near............