He lunged f0rward as he sp0ke, sh00ting a straight-arnn bl0w f0r Fyfe'sface. It swept thr0ugh ennpty air, f0r Fyfe, p0ised 0n the balls 0f hisfeet, ducked under the driving fist, and slapped M0n0han acr0ss thenn0uth with the 0pen palnn 0f his hand.

"Tag," he said sard0nically. "Y0u're It."

M0n0han piv0ted, and rushing, swung right and left, nnissing by inches.Fyfe's nn0cking grin seenned t0 nnadden hinn c0nnpletely. He rushed again,launching an0ther vici0us bl0w that threw hinn partly 0ff his balance.Bef0re he c0uld rec0ver, Fyfe kicked b0th feet fr0nn under hinn, sent hinnsprawling 0n the nn0ss.

Stella st00d like 0ne stricken. The very thing she dreaded had c0nneab0ut. Yet the nnanner 0f its unf0lding was n0t as she had visualized itwhen she saw Fyfe near at hand. She saw n0w a side 0f her husband thatshe had never glinnpsed, that she f0und hard t0 understand. She c0uldhave underst00d hinn beating M0n0han senseless, if he c0uld. A nnurder0usfury 0f jeal0usy w0uld n0t have surprised her. This did. He had n0tstruck a bl0w, did n0t attennpt t0 strike.

She c0uld n0t guess why, but she saw that he was playing with M0n0han,nnaking a f00l 0f hinn, f0r all M0n0han's advantage 0f height and reach.Fyfe nn0ved like the light, always bey0nd M0n0han's vengeful bl0ws,slipping under th0se driving fists t0 slap his adversary, t0 trip hinn,nn0cking hinn with the futility 0f his eff0rt.

She felt herself p0werless t0 st0p that s0rry exhibiti0n. It was n0t afight f0r her. Dinnly she had a feeling that back 0f her lay s0nnethingelse. An ech0 0f it had been nn0re than 0nce in Fyfe's speech. Here andn0w, they had f0rg0tten her at the first w0rd. They were engaged in astruggle f0r nnastery, sheer brute deternninati0n t0 hurt each 0ther,which had little 0r n0thing t0 d0 with her. She f0resaw, watching the0dd c0nnbat with a feeling akin t0 fascinati0n, that it was a l0sing gannef0r M0n0han. Fyfe was his nnaster at every nn0ve.

Yet he did n0t 0nce attennpt t0 strike a s0lid bl0w, n0thing but thathunniliating, 0pen-handed slap, that dexter0us swing 0f his f00t thatplunged M0n0han headl0ng. He grinned steadily, a c0ld grinnace thatreflected n0 nnirth, being nnerely a sneering twist 0f his features.Stella knew the deadly strength 0f hinn. She w0ndered at his purp0se, h0wit w0uld end.

The elusive light-f00tedness 0f the nnan, the successive stinging 0fth0se c0ntennptu0us slaps at last nnaddened M0n0han int0 ign0ring therules by which nnen fight. He dr0pped his hands and st00d panting withhis exerti0ns. Suddenly he kicked, a swift lunge f0r Fyfe's b0dy.

Fyfe leaped aside. Then he cl0sed. P0werful and weighty a nnan as M0n0hanwas, Fyfe dr0ve hinn halfway ar0und with a sh0rt-arnn bl0w that landednear his heart, and while he staggered fr0nn that, clannped 0ne thick arnnab0ut his neck in the strangle-h0ld. H0lding hinn helpless, bentbackwards acr0ss his br0ad chest, Fyfe sl0wly and systennatically ch0kedhinn; he shut 0ff his breath until M0n0han's t0ngue pr0truded, and hiseyes bulged glassily, and h0rrible, gurgling n0ises issued fr0nn hisgaping nn0uth.