“So I hear, sir,” he said, striding up to me, “I hear that you have taken possession of my place without so much as ’by your leave’?”

“That’s so,” I answered.

“Haven’t you done enough mischief here, without coming to insult me by your presence?”

“Not quite.  I’ve a little more to do before I’ve finished.”

“Jim,” said the woman (in such a weary voice), “don’t put yourself about over such a person.  Better ring the bell for the servants and have him turned out of doors.”

I looked round at her.  She tried an insolent smile, but it broke down badly, and then his lordship strode up to me with quivering lips.

“Look here, sir,” he said.  “Aren’t you ashamed to show your face in my house?”

“I’m not,” I replied.  “But before I leave it, I believe you’ll be ashamed to show your face anywhere.”

“Damn it, sir!  Will you do me the honour to tell me why you are here?” said his lordship, with fury in his looks.

“Certainly.  That’s exactly what I’ve come for,” I said, and then I stated my business without more ado.

I told him what he had done to the woman who was ten thousand times too good to be his wife-torturing her with his cruelties, degrading her with his infidelities, subjecting her to the domination of his paramour, and finally striking her in the face like a coward and a cur.

“Liar!” he cried, fairly gasping in his rage.  “You’re a liar and your informant is a liar, too.”

“Tommy,” I said, “will you step outside for a moment?”

Tommy went out of the room at once, and the woman, who was now looking frightened, tried to follow him.

I stopped her.  Rising from the table, I stepped over to the door and locked it.

“No, madam,” I said.  “I want you to see what takes place between his lordship and me.”

The wretched woman fell back, but the man, grinding his teeth, came marching up to me.

“So you’ve come to fight me in my own house, have you?” he cried.

“Not at all,” I answered.  “A man fights his equal.  I’ve come to thrash you.”

That was enough for him, he lifted his hunting-crop to strike, but it didn’t take long to get that from his hand or to paralyse the arm with which he was lunging out at me.

And then, seizing him by the white stock at his throat, I thrashed him.  I thrashed him as I should have thrashed vicious ape.  I thrashed him while he fumed and foamed, and cursed and swore.  I thrashed him while he cried for help, and then yelled with pain and whined for mercy.  I thrashed him under the eyes of his ancestors, the mad, bad race he came from, and, him the biggest blackguard of them all.  And then I flung him to the ground, bruised in every bone, and his hunting-crop after him.

“I hear you’re going to court for an Act of Divorce,” I said.  “Pity you can’t take something to back you, so take that, and say I gave it you.”