The true northerner., 1873-10-10
+" But what can Monsieur le Comte

will you not 2" roared the Count, goaded
to fury.
" If Monsieur lie Comte will give him
self the trouble to accompany me to the
apartments which, no doubt, are now
ready for me, said the stranger, rising,
" i will satisfy him."
GOOD, said the other, rising, Z" 1
am with you; | waive the preliminaries,
! only beg to observe that l am without
arms, but if YOU"
ooh, don't trouble yourself" said
the stranger, with grim smile. :" Ii
you are not afraid, follow me.
This he said in voice sufficiently
loud for the nearest to hear, and the
circle parted right and left, like fright
ened sheep as the two walked away.
Was there no one to call the police,
no one to try and prevent, what to all
seemed imminent Not soul. The
dreaded duelist had his evil fit ON, and
every one breathed freely now that the
victim was selected. Moreover no one
supposed it would end there.
The Count and his friend(O were ush-
cred into the apartment prepared for
the latter, who, as soon rs the garcon
had left, took off his coat and waistcoat
and proceeded to move the furniture so
as to leave the room free for what was
to follow-the Count standing with
folded arms glaring at him. The decks
being cleared for action, the stranger
locked the door, placed the key on the
mantle behind him, and said
:" L think you might have helped a
little. VIII you give me your attention
for five minutes p
Perfectly"
"Thank you. | am, as | have told
you, a Frenchman, but | was educated
in England, at one of her famous pub
lie schools. Had | been sent TO one of
our own lycees, should, perhaps, have
gained more book knowledge but, as
it is, / have learned some things which
we do not teach, and one of them is,
not to take mean advantage of any
man, but to keep my own head with my
own hands. Do you understand me,
Monsieur lie Comte?"
81 cannot fatter myself that | do.
Ha Then | must be more ex-
plicit | remark that one who takes
advantage of mere brute strength
against the weak, and who, practiced i'll
any art, compels one unpracticed IN it
to contend with him, is a coward and Il
knave. Do you follow me now, Mon
sieur lie Comte?"
" L came, monsieur"
"Never mind for what you came be
content with what you will get. For ex-
ample-to follow what was observing
If man skilled with the small sword,
for the mere vicious love of quarreling,
goads to madness a boy who has never
fenced in his life, and kills him, that
man is a murderer and more-a cow
ardly murderer and knaving one. :"
- think | catch your meaning but
if you have pistols here foamed the
bully.
:" do not come to eat strawberries
with pistols in my pocket, replied the
other in the same calm tone he had used
throughout. "Allow me to continue.
At the school of which L have spoken,
and in the society of men who have
grown out of it, and others where the
same habit of thought prevails, it
would have been considered that man
who had been guilty of such cowardice
and knavery as [ have mentioned,
would be Justly punished, if, some day,
he should be paid in his own coin by
meeting some one who would take him
at the same disadvantage as he placed
that poor boy at.
"Our secoHds shall fix your own
weapons, monsieur" said the Count ;
"l let this farce end. "
Presently. Those gentlemen whose
opinions / now venture to express, not
having that craze for blood which dis
tinguishes some who have not had a
similar enlightened education-would
probably think that such a coward and
knave as we have been considering,
would best meet his merits by receiving
humiliating castigation betitting his
knavery and cowardice.
"Ah / see L have a lawyer to deal
with, sneered the Count.
I" Yes l have studied a little law,
but | regret to say L am about to break
one of its provisions.
"You will fight me, then ?"
" Yes. At the school we have been
speaking of, l learned among other
things, the use of my hands, and if
mistake not, | am about to give
you as sound thrashing as any bully
ever got"
"You would take advantage of your
skill in the box 2" said the Count, grow
ing little pale.
" Exactly. Just as you took advan-
tage of your skill III the small-sword
with young B"
4" But it is degrading-brutal.
Z" My dear monsieur, just consider.
You are four inches taller and some
thirty or forty kilogrammes heavier
than am. l have seldom seen so fine
an outside. If you were to hit me a
good swinging blow it would go hard
with me. In the same way if poor
young B had got over your guard, il
would have gone hard with you. But
then l shall only blacken beth your
eyes, and perhaps deprive you of tooth
or so, unhappily in front, but you
killed him. y
II shall not accept this barbarous
encounter" said the Count.
" You must L have done talking.
Would you like little brandy before
we begin? No? Place yourself OF
guard, then, if you please. When an
done with you, and you are fit to ap.
pear, then you shall have your revenge
even with the small-sword, if you