"Douglas! Douglas!" Alice shrieked as the hateful Spaniard threw his arm round her waist and endeavoured to press his withered lips to her own. "Mine! Mine!" cried Narvaez, and the girl felt faint with disgust as he clung to her like a loathsome snake. The next instant he was whirled away by a strong arm, and Douglas was sustaining Alice, while the women from their work of peat-cutting and some men with them ran up, crying loudly. "You beastly little devil," shouted the young man furiously, "I shall break every bone in your body." "You hear! you hear!" screamed Don Pablo, raising himself on his hands and knees with an effort; "he threatens me. He wants to kill me." Narvaez was no favourite in Polwellin, but he was rich and had made friends with the mammon of unrighteousness in the village. Therefore the men and women murmured something about the shame of a young man striking so old a gentleman. They had not seen the entire episode, and even if they had would not have blamed the Spaniard overmuch, since it was popularly reported that the younger man had stolen the promised bride of the older one. "Lat um be," said one of the men, stretching out his arm to prevent Montrose again falling on Don Pablo, which he seemed inclined to do. "Yes, let him be," panted Alice, clinging to her lover, "he is mad. I shall tell my father how he has insulted me." "Insult you!" shrieked Narvaez, crawling up with the expression of a fiend. "I wonder you think any one can insult you." Montrose broke away from Alice and, gripping Narvaez firmly, shook him like a terrier shaking a rat. "You wicked wretch, how dare you! I'll kill you if you insult Miss Enistor further." "Lat um be," growled the same man who had spoken before; "um be bad fur sure, but um be old, my young sir." "Pah!" Douglas flung the little gnome away and took Alice's arm within his own. "Let him keep out of my way then. If he crosses my path again I shall rid the world of his accursed presence." "You hear! You hear!" shouted Don Pablo again. "He threatens to kill me. If anything happens to me, remember all of you what has been said." "Aye, we'll remember. But why didn't you lat her as is to be his wife alone?" "She was to be my wife and he robbed me of her," snarled Narvaez, arranging his disordered attire. "Come away! come away," murmured Alice, with white lips and dragging Douglas aside, for the young man's fury was overpowering him again. "Yes, I'll go. I am not master of myself while that little reptile is about--oh, you toad--you----" Words failed Montrose, and he walked hurriedly away with Alice, after shaking his fist at Narvaez. "You threatened to kill me: I'll remember that," shouted the Spaniard after him. "You threatened in the presence of witnesses." Montrose, walking swiftly home with Alice, paid no attention to the cry, but turned to the girl with a white face of suppressed anger and dilated nostrils. "Why didn't you let me twist his neck?" he growled.