Stand aside, will you ?" As he came up he struck Nic a back-handed blow across the chest, forcing him backward and making Tomlins utter a cry of pain.
"Now then, none of that," continued Green.

"Go on, and take care of those birds,--go on!" The boy in his dread and pain, wincing in the expectation of a fresh kick, staggered on for a few paces, and then with a cry of misery fell forward flat upon his chest.
"Mind those birds!" yelled Green, starting forward, and bending down he flung the wretched boy over on to his back so as to extricate the bird's nest.
But he was too late; the unfortunate callow songsters had been saved from a lingering death by starvation and imprisonment, the sides of the clay-lined nest being crushed in, and the breath out of the tender little bodies.
They were quite dead, and in a fit of vindictive rage Green flew at the innocent author of the mischief.
"You miserable little beast!" he roared; and his foot was raised to deliver a savage kick.

"Get up!" But instead of Tomlins getting up, Green went down.

For, quick as thought, Dominic rushed at him.
"Let him alone!" he cried hoarsely; and the fierce thrust he gave sent the young tyrant into a sitting position upon a cushion-like tuft rising from the closely cropped grass.
But that tuft was only cushion-like in appearance.

There were geese feathers about, but they did not form its contents, for it was stuffed with keen, stiff thorns such as can grow to perfection upon a Kentish common; and if Brian Green had been an indiarubber ball he could not have rebounded more suddenly than he did.
Raising the now empty nest he threw it with all his might at Dominic, and both his fists after it.
The nest missed; the fists took effect, alighting as they did upon Dominic's breast and shoulder, and completely driving all thought of consequences out of the boy, who retaliated with such good effect that, as the lookers-on cheered and shouted encouragement, the fight raged fiercely.