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376 tested to hear him named, and gave yourself no sort of concern about him! all this appears to me somewhat strange.”

Marcellin’s pride took the alarm, but at the word strange, he seemed greatly confused, and replied in a hurried, unconnected manner. This only plunged both parties deeper into the brawl, and shortly, in his excessive choler, he challenged two of the natives to meet him with sword and pistols on the ensuing morning.

After fierce words on both sides, they separated and went in different directions without attempting to resume any of their former schemes, and without a single pereat executed on any professional head.

Nordenholm watched their retreat through his half-closed windows barricadoed with huge tomes, and burst into bitter laughter, as he recalled to mind a similar convulsion, which was years before followed by the loss of his sweetest earthly enjoyments.

Meanwhile the head-master and Margaret had ceased to read, and were sitting nearer each other quite still and contemplative.

“No, read no more to-night, child,” said the old man, “the evening seems to have set in so strangely; and then the history you began to read was so very extraordinary, who knows but still more wild and absurd accounts may follow it; better bring your spinning-wheel to the table, and then if you should