I now opened my eyes, and saw that there was a very dirty jack-towel on a roller behind the door, to which I hastily ran. "Look here, sir," said Mr Grimstone, as I hastily rubbed away at my head; "we can't have these goings-on here. What have you been doing?" "I think he's been using the lye, sir," cried the young hypocrite. "I told him it was only for the type." "It isn't true, sir," I cried indignantly; when a compositor came up to the door, and Mr Grimstone was called away. The moment he was gone, Smith darted at me, and thrust his doubled fist hard against my face. "You say a word agen me," he said, "and I'll half kill yer. I'll smash yer, that I will, so look out." He went out of the place, leaving me hot and indignant, rubbing away at my tingling head, which I at length got pretty dry and combed before a scrap of glass stuck by four tacks in a corner; and when I had finished it was in time to see the men just returning from their tea and resuming their work. Not being told to do anything else, I went back to the case, and continued to learn the boxes, not much the worse for my adventure, only feeling uncomfortably wet about the neck. At last the clock pointed to eight, and, following the example of the rest, I hurried out of the great office, eager to get back to Mr Revitts before he went on duty, for I wanted to ask him a question. I got up to the street in Pentonville just as he was coming out of the house, and in answer to his "Halloa! here you are, then," I caught hold of his arm. "Bill!" I exclaimed, panting with excitement, "can you teach me how to fight?" CHAPTER NINETEEN. WILLIAM REVITTS ON LESSONS. Sometime passed before William Revitts replied in full to my question. He had, of course, asked me what I meant, and I had explained to him the treatment I had received, but his duties and mine kept us a great deal apart. One night, however, when he had returned to day-duty, he was seated in his shirt-sleeves talking to me, and said all of a sudden: "Yes, I could teach you how to fight, Antony." "And will you?" I said eagerly. "Give me my 'bacco and pipe off the chimney-piece." I handed them to him, and waited patiently while he filled and lighted his pipe, and then all at once, along with a puff of smoke, he exclaimed: "No, I sha'n't. Fighting's all blackguardism, as I know as well as most men. I've had the taking up of some of the beauties as go in for it, and beauties they are. I don't say as if I was you I wouldn't give that Master Jem Smith an awful crack for himself if he meddled with me again; but I should do it when I was in a passion, and when he'd hurt me. You'll hit as hard again then, and serve him right. Now let's have a turn at spelling." We did "have a turn at spelling," and I dictated while Revitts wrote, varying the task with bits of advice to me--absurd enough, some of them, while others were as shrewd and full of common-sense.