"Excuse me, G.o.dfrey; I didn"t mean to run into you."
"That don"t go down."
"Indeed, I didn"t. I didn"t see you."
"I can"t help it. You ought to have been more careful. Take that, to make you more careful."
As he said this, he seized him by the collar, and, tripping him, laid him flat on his back.
"For shame, G.o.dfrey!" said another boy standing by; but as it was a small boy, G.o.dfrey only answered:
"If you say that again, I"ll serve you the same way."
Alfred tried to get up, but G.o.dfrey put his knee on his breast.
"Let me up, G.o.dfrey," said Alfred, piteously. "I can"t breathe. You hurt me."
"I"ll teach you to run into me," said the bully.
"I didn"t mean to."
"I want to make sure of your not doing it again."
"Do let me up," said Alfred.
In return, G.o.dfrey only pressed more heavily, and the little fellow began to cry. But help was near at hand. Andy Burke happened to come up the hill just then, and saw what was going on. He had a natural chivalry that prompted him always to take the weaker side. But besides this, he liked Alfred for his good qualities, and disliked G.o.dfrey for his bad ones. He did not hesitate a moment, therefore, but ran up, and, seizing G.o.dfrey by the collar with a powerful grasp, jerked him on his back in the twinkling of an eye. Then, completely turning the tables, he put his knee on G.o.dfrey"s breast, and said:
"Now, you know how it is yourself. How do you like it?"
"Let me up," demanded G.o.dfrey, furiously.
"That"s what Alfred asked you to do," said Andy, coolly. "Why didn"t you do it?"
"Because I didn"t choose," answered the prostrate boy, almost foaming at the mouth with rage and humiliation.
"Then I don"t choose to let you up."
"You shall suffer for this," said G.o.dfrey, struggling, but in vain.
"Not from your hands. Oh, you needn"t try so hard to get up. I can hold you here all day if I choose."
"You"re a low Irish boy!"
"You"re lower than I am just now," said Andy.
"Let me up."
"Why didn"t you let Alfred up?"
"He ran against me."
"Did he mean to?"
"No, I didn"t, Andy," said Alfred, who was standing near. "I told G.o.dfrey so, but he threw me over, and pressed on my breast so hard that it hurt me."
"In this way," said Andy, increasing the pressure on his prostrate enemy.
G.o.dfrey renewed his struggles, but in vain.
"Please let him up now, Andy," said Alfred, generously.
"If he"ll promise not to touch you any more, I will."
"I won"t promise," said G.o.dfrey. "I won"t promise anything to a low beggar."
"Then you must feel the low beggar"s knee," said Andy.
"You wouldn"t have got me down if I had been looking. You got the advantage of me."
"Did I? Well, then, I"ll give you a chance."
Andy rose to his feet, and G.o.dfrey, relieved from the pressure, arose, too. No sooner was he up than he flew like an enraged tiger at our hero, but Andy was quite his equal in strength, and, being cool, had the advantage.
The result was that in a few seconds he found himself once more on his back.
"You see," said Andy, "it isn"t safe for you to attack me. I won"t keep you down any longer, but if you touch Alfred again, I"ll give you something worse."
G.o.dfrey arose from the ground, and shook his fist at Andy.
"I"ll make you remember this," he said.
"I want you to remember it yourself," said Andy.
G.o.dfrey didn"t answer, but made his way to the schoolroom, sullenly.
"Thank you, Andy," said Alfred, gratefully, "for saving me from G.o.dfrey. He hurt me a good deal."
"He"s a brute," said Andy, warmly. "Don"t be afraid of him, Alfred, but come and tell me if he touches you again. I"ll give him something he won"t like."
"You must be very strong, Andy," said the little boy, admiringly. "You knocked him over just as easy."
Andy laughed.
"Did you ever know an Irish boy that couldn"t fight?" he asked. "I"m better with my fists than with my brains, Alfred."
"That"s because you never went to school much. You"re getting on fast, Andy."
"I"m tryin", Alfred," he said. "It"s a shame for a big boy like me not to know as much as a little boy like you."