"Penn," he said, in a loud and excited voice, not doubting that the sympathies of the others would be as warm as his own, "Penn, you wicked brute, you have stolen that bottle of scent. Here, Mrs Hart, _you_ shan't suffer at any rate if there _is_ a fellow so base and wicked," and he at once pulled out his last half-crown, and insisted on her taking it in payment for the stolen article. Penn, for the moment, was quite taken aback by the scathing flame of Charlie's righteous anger. If there had been none but Noelites there he would have made very light of the accusation, and probably have laughed it off; but there were others looking on who would, he knew, view the transaction in a very different light, so he thought that his safest course lay in a flat denial. It was not reasonable to expect that he would stick at this; a boy who has no scruples about "bagging" the property of a poverty-stricken old woman, is not likely to hesitate about telling a "cram" to escape exposure. "What's all this about, you little fool? I haven't bagged anything." Charlie was still more amazed; he positively could not understand a great brazen lie like this, and yet it was impossible to doubt that it _was_ a lie, against the evidence of his own senses. "You didn't take that scent-bottle? oh! how _can_ you tell such a lie? I saw you with my own eyes." "What do I care for you or your eyes?" was the only answer which Penn vouchsafed to return. "You're always flying out at fellows like a young turkey-cock, you No-thank-you," said Wilton. "Why don't you thrash him, Penn, for his confounded impudence?" "Thrash him yourself if you like, Raven; I don't care the snap of a finger for what he says." "What do you mean, No-thank-you, by charging him with bagging the thing when he says he didn't?" said Wilton in a threatening tone to Charlie; and as Charlie took no notice, he enforced the question by a slap on the cheek; for Wilton had old grudges against Charlie to pay off. "I didn't speak to _you_, Wilton; but you shan't hit me for nothing; you force me to fight against my will," said Charlie, returning the blow; "you can't say that I'm doing it to get off anything this time, as you did once before." A long and desperate fight ensued between Charlie and Wilton; too long and too desperate in the opinion of several of the bystanders; but as there was no one near who had any authority, nobody liked to interfere. So, as they were very equally matched, neither of the combatants showed the least sign of giving in, though their faces and clothes were smeared with blood. At last Henderson and Whalley, who were strolling through the playground, caught sight of the crowd, and came up to see what was the matter. "It's a fight," said Henderson; "young Evson and Belial junior; I'd much rather see them fight than see them friends."