Thefirstbattle, foughtandfinished," Martinsaidtothelooking-glasstendayslater."Buttherewillbeasecondbattle, andathirdbattle, andbattlestotheendoftime, unless—"

Hehadnotfinishedthesentence, butlookedaboutthemeanlittleroomandlethiseyesdwellsadlyuponaheapofreturnedmanuscripts, stillintheirlongenvelopes, , , andonthenextday, andthenext, 'srentbehindonthetypewriter, whichhecouldnotpay, havingbarelyenoughfortheweek'sboardwhichwasdueandfortheemploymentofficefees.

, andhesuddenlydiscoveredthathewasfondofit.

"Dearoldtable," hesaid, "I'vespentsomehappyhourswithyou, andyou', neverpassedmeoutareward-of-unmeritrejectionslip, nevercomplainedaboutworkingovertime."

, , whenhewassixyearsold, whenhepunchedawaywiththetearsrunningdownhischeekswhiletheotherboy, twoyearshiselder, , howlinglikebarbariansashewentdownatlast, writhinginthethroesofnausea, thebloodstreamingfromhisnoseandthetearsfromhisbruisedeyes.

"Poorlittleshaver," hemurmured."Andyou'''redownandout."

Butthevisionofthatfirstfightstilllingeredunderhiseyelids, -Face (thatwastheboy) -Face', fightafterfight, -Facehadbeenalittlefiendatfighting, ! Hehadstayedwithit!

Next, hesawanarrowalley, -storybrickbuilding, outofwhichissuedtherhythmicthunderofthepresses, , andCheese-Facewasthirteen, , , ofcourse, Cheese-Facehadpickedonhimagain, andtherewasanotherfightthatwasindeterminate, becauseatquartertofourthedoorofthepress-roomwasthrownopenandthegangofboyscrowdedintofoldtheirpapers.