The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

80 BY RIGHT OF SWORD. and whisper to him) immediately he caught sight of me. ‘The man turned slightly and glanced in my direction, and my instincts warned me of danger. I would not balk the pair ; but I would not provoke the quarrel. I moved quietly about the room, chatting with one man and another, but keeping a wary eye disengaged for the two at the other end. Gradually I worked my way round to where they were, and both rose as I approached. I saw, too, that Devinsky’s old seconds and toadies were near and were watching me and smirking. They formed a group of three or four men who seemed to have an intimation of what was coming. They were waiting to see me ‘‘ jumped.”’ I knew, however, that if I kept quiet I should make the task more diffi- cult for the pair, and thus compel Devinsky to show his hand, and so give me the pretext I needed to force the first fight on him. ‘‘Good evening, Petrovitch, or Lieutenant Petrovitch, I suppose I should say,’’ said Devinsky, and the instant he spokeI could tell he had been drink- ing. ‘‘I think you’ve met my friend, Captain Durescq ?’’ ‘“ Not yet,’’ I said, looking straight into Devinsky’s eyes with a ieee. he read and didn’t like. ‘“Is this the gentleman who is so particular in asserting his lieutenancy ? Good evening, Lieutenant Petrovitch.’’ He said this in a tone that was in- sufferably insolent ; and as if to point the insult, the two toadies, when they heard it, sniggered audibly. Nothing could have played better into my hands. All four made an ex- traordinary blunder, since they showed, before I had opened my lips, that the object was to force a quarrel ; and thus the sympathies of every decent man in the place were on my side. I kept cool. I was too wary to take fire yet. “IT thought you knew Captain Durescq when he was here last year,’’ said Devinsky. ‘‘ But you may have forgotten.’’ ‘“Good evening, Captain Durescq,’’ said I, ignoring Devinsky and re- turning the other man’s greeting. ‘‘ What is the latest war news in St. Petersburg ?’’ | ‘‘ Bad for those who do not like fighting,’’ he said, looking at me in a way that turned this to a personal insult. ‘*But good, perhaps, for those soldiers whose swords are to hire,’’ I re- turned, with a smile which did not make my point less plain. The man’s eyes flashed. ‘They will take the place of your friends who do not like the fighting,’’ I added ; and to this all about us grew suddenly silent. ‘“My friends? How do you mean ?’’ asked Durescg stiffly. ‘* Those whom you mentioned in your first sentence. Whom else should I mean?’’ and I let my eye rest as if by accident on Devinsky. ‘“'You have a singular manner of expressing yourself, lieutenant.’’ ‘“We provincials do not always copy the manners of the capital, you know,’’ I returned in my pleasantest manner. ‘‘I think the provinces are growing more and more independent every year. We arrange our own affairs in our own way, have our own etiquette, form our own associations, and settle our own quarrels without aid from the capital.’’ Eomichbooks (S@)