Argosy, Vol. 1 (December 9, 1882) — page 241: what you’re looking at

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

234 THE ARGOSY. As he stood ready to open the great front door Marie put a detaining hand on his arm. ‘““ Monsieur,” she said, “ it may be only my nerves—I pray God it is, but I have a dreadful presentiment that all will not go well tonight.” She paused and looked sadly up at him; something within her told her not to let him go from her. ‘“ My dear countess,” he replied, “ what real harm can come to you? Al- ready there is a guard of twelve stout hearted English sailors about the chateau, sufficient to repel a force of twice as many.” The countess looked hurt. “ I was not thinking of myself; they would not dare to do me any bodily harm,” she said; “I was thinking of you.” “ Have no fear; I will come back to you safe within the hour,” he answered brightly, and so he went forth to meet his adversary. And in his ears there still rang the last words of the Countess Marie, “I was thinking of you.” The time named for the meeting was eleven, and by twenty minutes of the hour, Cottrell and Struthers, who was to be his second, were at the appointed spot. The place named in the count’s note was at a considerable distance from the chateau, and quite near the beach. Taking advantage of this, Struthers had a boat’s crew of ten armed men under Kent close at hand. They were to keep by the boat unless Struthers should blow on his boatswain’s whistle, which would be equivalent to a call to quarters and a gentle scrimmage. At exactly on the stroke of eleven the count appeared upon the scene, but quite alone. “Gentlemen,” he scid, “ having just returned from a little hunting trip, I was unable in time to procure a suitable second, but I am willing to dispense with that formality, trusting to your honor.” It seemed to take a long time to arrange all the preliminaries, the count raising point after point. He was in a strangely nervous mood; a creeking of the trees, a sudden moan of the wind, caused him to stop and listen like one who was in dread of something. “Come, lieutenant, we have delayed matters long enough!” exclaimed Struthers. } To tell the truth, the count on one pretext or another, was putting off the actual struggle as long as he could, and now, being forced to it, he reluctantly picked up his foil and stood en garde. Struthers dropped the handkerchief, and immediately the men were at it, thrusting and parrying with all the skill of two practiced swordsmen. The Frenchman was the better fencer of the two, but his adversary had the cooler nerve, and the steadier hand, so that they were fairly matched. For the space of a full minute there was nothing heard but the low mur- muring of the surf on the beach, and the light sound of steel against steel, as one blade clashed against the other, or went sliding along upon it with a Short squeak. Suddenly, in the midst of the duel there was heard a dozen sharp reports, GONG OOO UN ceo