Tom was not touched. "Damn you, let it break!"
Pressed, pressed, pressed downward, Tad was sinking by a fraction of an inch each minute. The strength above him was pitiless. Except for the running of water in the bathroom, where Guy had dragged Spit Castle to wash his nose, there was no sound in the room but the long hard pantings, now from Tad's side, now from Tom's. In the intervals neither seemed to breathe.
Suddenly Tad collapsed, and went down. Tom came on top of him. The heavier having the lighter fastened by arms and legs, the two lay like two stones. The faces were so near together that they could have kissed. Their long protruding eyebrows brushed each other's foreheads. The weight of Tom's bulk squeezed the breath from his foe, as a bear squeezes it with a hug. Nothing was left to Tad but resistance of the will. Of that, too, Tom meant to get the better.
The words were whispered from one mouth into the other. "Do you know what I'm going to do with you?"
"I'm going to take you back with me to let that old man out of his shop."
There was still no answer. Tom sprang suddenly off Tad's body, but with his fingers under the collar.
He pulled with all his might. The collar gave way. Tad fell back. "Damned if I will," was all he could say by way of defiance.
Tom gave him a kick. "Get up, I tell you. If you don't I'll kick the stuffing out of you."
The kick hurt nothing but Tad's pride; but it hurt that badly. It hurt it so badly that he got up, with no further show of opposition. He dusted his clothes mechanically with his hands; he tried to adjust his torn collar. His tone was almost commonplace.
"This has got to be settled some other time. What do you want me to do?"
Tom pointed to the door. "What I want you to do is to march. Keep ahead of me. And mind you if you try to bolt I'll wring your neck as if you were a cur. You--you--" He sought a word which would hit where blows had not carried--"you--coward!"
The flash of Tad's eyes was like that of Tom's own. "We'll see."
He went out the door, Tom close behind him.
It was a March night, with snow on the ground, but thawing. They were without overcoats, and bare-headed. A few motor cars were passing, but not many pedestrians.