D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 237: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

2.22 A Talk Over Sword Blades. Bang went a door, slammed. Wrenching himself free from the strong hand, which had crushed the Dominican monk and held the citizen like a fly in a web, the latter slipped out of his waistcoat, dashed fully within his doorway and fell over his parcel. This entry caused Donna Jacinta to recede, but seized with panic, she grasped at the door and shoved it to with all her weight. It not only closed, but some kind of a spring bolt shot, and Porthos, returning to the charge, had his ear boxed by the massive boards. There was a cry in the street; the door closing so loudly had given a sound like a cannon shot. | “The war is at our doors!” cried the citizens, and there was a general flight. “By speeding,” said the Lisbonese, parrying a deadly stab, and thrusting twice in succession without touching, so nimbly had the other bowed himself backwards, “I — might yet overtake ‘ | ‘“T doubt!” fencing up so closely that the hilts met and the points menaced the balconies. “In my turn, I must — give you the lesson. Be thonored, sir, for the thrust, im quarte, after a ‘false foin, thus, was invented by his Most Catholic Majesty, Louis the Thirteenth of France! the thirteenth, mark you, so that it must be unlucky for somebody! he was practicing with his captain of muske- teers.” “Oh, he is going to kill him or he would not reveal the secret,’ thought Porthos, giving up his attempts to break in the door and wholly engrossed in the duel. The Spaniard drew back and saluted. It was his last effort. His arm sank. He caught the sword in his other hand or it would have fallen. “T have the lesson, graven on my arm,” said he, winc- ing and biting his lip. He was losing blood, but not from the jesting vein. “You may think yourself blessed that it was there, and not in your heart,’ interposed Porthos, stepping forward. “Let me hope you will shortly recover, that I may have the honor to give you another lesson out of my own book !” “Porthos, be quiet! What has this gentleman to do with your” Eomichooks.com