Botts's ugly countenance now assumed a very peculiar expression. One of those ideas which suddenly rush into a man's mind and master it in a moment presented itself, and immediately became dominant. He supposed that Wiggins had become demented, and that he was in the presence of a maniac. Botts had as much of the common quality of physical courage as most of the male gender, but, like many a brave man, he had an intense horror of crazy people. He retreated. Wiggins advanced towards him, anxious to explain, and lifting his hand in the act of gesticulation. "Stand back!" shouted Botts, grasping a chair, and elevating it over his head,--"stand back, or I will knock you down!" "Botts! Botts!" exclaimed Wiggins, lifting up both hands in violent agitation, being utterly astounded at this hostile demonstration on the part of his principal,--"Botts! Botts! I--I--said--broad-axes!" "Help! help! murder! murder!" shouted Botts; and he aimed a blow at Wiggins, who dodged it, and, tumbling over a table, fell sprawling on the carpet, while the chair flew from Botts's hands and went with a crash against the door. In an instant there was a rush of people from the adjoining apartments and the room was filled with spectators. "Good heavens!" exclaimed M. T. Pate, addressing himself to Botts, who had armed himself with another chair, and stood brandishing it in a corner of the room with an air of desperate determination,--"good heavens! Mr. Botts, what does this mean?" "Gentlemen, such scenes cannot be allowed in my house," said the landlord. "Mr. Botts, this is the second time you have raised an uproar in this establishment." "Botts, you shall answer for this outrage!" exclaimed Wiggins, rising on his feet and looking Botts in the face with a most truculent aspect. "Are you not crazy?" said Botts. "Crazy!" vociferated Wiggins, advancing towards Botts, who dodged behind Pate. "_You_ are crazy, sir! You are as mad as a March hare, sir! You are a dangerous man! I will have you in a lunatic asylum before you are a day older, sir! Gentlemen, I call upon you to assist me in securing this madman." "By Jupiter! I think you are both lunatics," said the landlord. "Mr. Wiggins, there most he some mistake," said Pate. "Botts is not crazy." "No madder man ever broke out of bedlam!" said Wiggins. "He will kill somebody if he is not put in a strait-jacket." "What was all this about?" asked Pate. "About?" said Wiggins. "Why, sir, I was merely repeating something which Mr. Belton had said to me, when up jumped Botts and aimed a blow at my head with chair; and had I out dodged as quickly as I did, he would have knocked my brains out. Is such a man fit to run at large through this house? Do you call him sane, Mr. Pate? Sane!--if he's sane, you might as well pull down all the lunatic asylums in the land and let their inmates out to----"