The "dear young friend" was grappling with him and attempting to wrest the chair away by brute force. "When I get at you," he said, his hot breath hissing through the chair rungs, "I'll jolly well teach you to sneak of me!" "Murder!" Paul gasped, feeling his hold on the chair relaxing. "Unless help comes this young fiend will have my blood!" They were revolving slowly round the chair, watching each other's eyes like gladiators, when Paul noticed a sudden blankness and fixity in his antagonist's expression, and, looking round, saw Dr. Grimstone's awful form framed in the doorway, and gave himself up for lost. 6. _Learning and Accomplishments_ "I subscribe to Lucian: 'tis an elegant thing which cheareth up the mind, exerciseth the body, delights the spectators, which teacheth many comely gestures, equally affecting the ears, eyes and soul itself."--BURTON, _on Dancing_. "What is this?" asked Dr. Grimstone in his most blood-curdling tone, after a most impressive pause at the dormitory door. Mr. Bultitude held his tongue, but kept fast hold of his chair, which he held before him as a defence against either party, while Coggs remained motionless in the centre of the room, with crooked knees and hands dangling impotently. "Will one of you be good enough to explain how you come to be found struggling in this unseemly manner? I sent you up here to meditate on your past behaviour." "I should be most happy to meditate, sir," protested Paul, lowering his chair on discovering that there was no immediate danger, "if that--that bloodthirsty young ruffian there would allow me to do so. I am going about in bodily fear of him, Dr. Grimstone. I want him bound over to keep the peace. I decline to be left alone with him--he's not safe!" "Is that so, Coggs? Are you mean and base enough to take this cowardly revenge on a boy who has had the moral courage to expose your deceit--for your ultimate good--a boy who is unable to defend himself against you?" "He can fight when he chooses, sir," said Coggs; "he blacked my eye last term, sir!" "I assure you," said Paul, with the convincing earnestness of truth, "that I never blacked anybody's eye in the whole course of my life. I am not--ah--a pugnacious man. My age, and--hum--my position, ought to protect me from these scandals----" "You've come back this year, sir," said Dr. Grimstone, "with a very odd way of talking of yourself--an exceedingly odd way. Unless I see you abandoning it, and behaving like a reasonable boy again, I shall be forced to conclude you intend some disrespect and open defiance by it." "If you would allow me an opportunity of explaining my position, sir," said Paul, "I would undertake to clear your mind directly of such a monstrous idea. I am trying to assert my rights, Dr. Grimstone--my rights as a citizen, as a householder! This is no place for me, and I appeal to you to set me free. If you only knew one tenth----"