Linton was tall and muscular, but law-practice is not lumbering. He struck viciously at Harlan, ducking to and fro with the briskness of the trained boxer. But the woodsman merely leaped upon him, heedless of his blows. He bore him down. He drove resistless knees into his shoulders. He thrust Linton's face against the floor and ground it against the boards. Then he dragged the limp figure past the cursing Duke toward the girl. She had fled to a corner, covering her eyes and sobbing in terror. "D--n you, you'll apologize to the girl who's going to be my wife," raved Harlan. When Presson returned at the head of volunteers the victor was grinding the bleeding face on the floor once more and Linton was screaming appeals. There were enough of them to separate the men. They dragged Harlan away out of the room in spite of his struggles. The mere sight of the lawyer seemed to infuriate him more. The Duke hurried the girl out and away while the peacemakers were struggling with the young combatants. "Stop that blubbering," he commanded, roughly. "If you've got any grit left in you, brace up. Don't let people here notice!" He was trying to hide as much of the true reason for the affray as he could. He wanted to get the girl out of sight. "I didn't know--I did nothing--if it was about me I didn't--" He stopped her brutally. "About you, you little fool? Of course it wasn't about you! My grandson is going to marry Luke Presson's daughter." She stiffened in the hook of his arm. They were in the corridor and had not come into the view of the people. "Every one knows it," he hurried on. He saw an opportunity to get in a cruel blow at the romance he suspected and hated. "They have been going together for months. She'll be the right kind of a wife for him. They were fighting about her--those two young hyenas." She pulled away from him. The tears were on her cheeks, but she held herself straight and looked him in the eye. "That's a lie, Mr. Thornton!" "It's the truth. He'll marry her if you haven't spoiled it all for him--spoiled his good name and stirred up all this scandal for him just as he was getting ready to amount to something in the world, with a wife that could help him! You get away from here as quickly as you can. You hear me? If his career is spoiled you've done it. Don't stay around here and disgrace him any more. It's bad enough, as it is, for him and Miss Presson!" She stared at him, stricken and puzzled. Then she left him. "I don't need any further escort," she informed him, turning after she had gone a few steps. It was Dennis Kavanagh's girl speaking now. "I have been escorted by the Thorntons quite enough during the past ten minutes. I tell you again, I believe you lie. But I propose to understand something more about this--and I'll not disgrace you nor your grandson!"