CHAPTER XIV
--AND GOOD JUDGMENT YIELDS TO FOLLY
At any other moment the tone of confidence underlying the effronteryof this letter would certainly have revealed its presence to a brainmore than ordinarily acute. But in the storm and stress of his rageagainst gods and men, Medenham did not wait to ponder subtleties ofexpression. No matter what the hidden reason that inspired Marigny'spen, it was enough for Medenham to know that at last that arch-plotterand very perfect rascal was within his reach. He breakfasted in a furyof haste, crammed on a hat, and rushed away, meaning to drive in a cabto the hotel in Northumberland Avenue from which Marigny wrote.
Such was his agitated state that he was not even surprised when hefound the Mercury waiting outside, with Dale, taciturn as ever,scrutinizing the day's sporting news. In sober fact, the man wasalmost as perturbed as his master. For an hour in the morning, andagain during certain periods of suspense in the afternoon, he forgothis troubles in the effort either to "spot winners" or to persuadehimself that the horses he had selected for particular races had notrun, since their names failed to appear among the "first three." Butthese spasms of anticipation and disillusionment soon passed. Duringthe remainder of the long hours of daylight Dale was ever on the _quivive_ for a wild rush of two or three hundred miles in pursuit of thewoman whose charms had so effectually subjugated the young Viscount.Even the hunt for Marigny did not weaken Dale's belief, and Medenhamwas never in Cavendish Square or at his club at any practicable hourthat the Mercury was not at hand, with petrol tanks full, luggagecarriers attached, and a full stock of spares and reserve spiriton board. At any rate, on this occasion Medenham merely gave himMarigny's address, and jumped inside. Dale was disappointed. Heexpected the order to be "Carlisle," at the least.
Soon his lordship was being conducted by an hotel servant to a privatesitting-room. The Frenchman, who was seated at a table, writing, whenhe entered, rose and bowed politely.
"I thought it highly probable that I should have the honor of seeingyou this morning, Viscount Medenham," he said, and there was a touchof restraint, of formal courtesy, in his voice that the other, even inhis anger against the man, did not fail to notice. Oddly enough, itsavored of brutality to attack him without preface, and Marigny seemedto be unconscious of his visitor's unconcealed animosity.
"I am glad you are here," he went on glibly. "Recent events call fora full discussion between you and me, do you agree? But before we cometo close quarters, as you say in England, I wish to know whether theargument is to be conducted on lines that befit gentlemen. On the lastoccasion when we differed, you used the methods of the costermonger."
"They served their purpose," said Medenham, annoyed at finding theFrenchman's coolness rather disconcerting.
Suddenly, he decided on a new plan of action, and resolved to let theman say what he chose. Dearly as he would have liked to wreak physicalvengeance on him, he felt that such a proceeding offered the leastsatisfactory way out of a situation fraught with no small risk ofpublicity. Marigny must have had some all-powerful motive in sendingfor him; better learn that before his bitter and contemptuous wordssealed an adversary's lips.
"Won't you sit down?" came the urbane request.
"I prefer standing, if you don't mind," said Medenham curtly; then headded, after a little pause:
"It may clear the atmosphere somewhat if I tell you that I threatenedyou at Bristol merely because a certain issue had to be determinedwithin a few seconds. That consideration does not apply now. You areat liberty to say what you like without fear of consequences."
The Frenchman elevated his eyebrows.
"Fear?" he said.
"Oh, don't bandy words with me. You know what I mean. I suppose a manmust possess courage of a sort even to become a blackmailer, which iswhat you threaten to develop into. At any rate, I promise to keep myhands off you, if that is what you want."
"Not exactly," was the quiet answer. "One may draw distinctions, evenin that regard, but I do wish for an opportunity to discuss ourquarrel without an appeal to brute force."
"In other words," said Medenham sternly, "you want to be free to saysomething which under ordinary conditions would earn you a thrashing.Well--say it!"
Marigny nodded, pulled a chair round so that he was straddled acrossit, facing Medenham, with his arms resting on the back. He lit acigarette, and seemed to draw inspiration from the first dense cloudof smoke, for his eyes dwelt on it rather than sought the Englishman'sfrown.
"In a dispute of this kind," he said, "it is well to begin at thebeginning, otherwise one's motives are apt to be misunderstood. Evenyou, I suppose, will admit that I was first in the field."
There was no answer. To his credit, Medenham thought, Marigny showed acurious unwillingness to mention Cynthia's name, but, no matter whathe had in mind, Medenham certainly did not intend to render his taskeasier.
"You see," went on Count Edouard, after a thoughtful puff or two, "Iam quite as well-born a man in my country as you are in yours. I havenot ascertained the date when the Fairholme Earldom was created, butthere has been a Comte Marigny on the Loire since 1434. Of course, youunderstand that I do not mention this trivial fact in any ridiculousspirit of boasting. I only put it forward as constituting a claim to acertain equality. That is all. Unfortunately, recent events in myfamily have robbed me of those necessary appurtenances to rank andposition which a happier fate has preserved to you. I am poor, you arerich; I must marry a wife with money, you can afford to marry forlove. Why then, Viscount Medenham, should you step in and rob me of arich wife?"
In spite of his loathing of the means adopted by this self-proclaimedrival to snatch an advantage, Medenham did not hesitate to reply:
"My answer to that is, of course, that I have done nothing of thesort. I simply intervened between a crew of adventurers and theirpossible, though most improbable, victim."
"Unfortunately, our points of view are irreconcilable," went on theFrenchman airily. "I might claim that the term adventurer, as appliedto me, is a harsh one. You may inquire where and how you choose inParis, and you will find no discredit attached to my name. But thatphase of the difficulty is now of no consequence. Let us keep to themain issue. Some three months ago I made the acquaintance of a ladyfitted in every respect to fill my ideal. I was on good terms with herfather, and by no means distasteful to the lady herself. Given a fairopportunity, I thought I might win her, and I was puzzling my wits toknow how best to attain that most desirable end when Fate apparentlyopened a way. But you have no doubt observed in life that while onecan seldom misinterpret Fate's frowns, her smiles can be damnablymisleading. Sometimes they are little else than malicious leers; itwas so now, and I quickly found that I had erred badly in thinkingthat I had been vouchsafed a golden opportunity----"
"Can't you spare me some of this theorizing?" broke in Medenham with acold impatience. "You happened to send for me at a moment when I wasexceedingly anxious to meet you. The fact that I am here in responseto your request stops me from carrying out the special purpose I hadin view. That can wait, though not very long. At any rate, you mightsave yourself some hair-splitting and me some exercise ofself-restraint by telling me what it is that you want."
"A thousand regrets if I am boring you," said Marigny, leaning back inthe chair and laying the cigarette on the mantelpiece. "Yet bear withme a little while, I pray you; these explanations are necessary. Asane man acts with motive, and it is only reasonable that you shouldunderstand my motive before you hear my project."
"Ah, then, there is a project?"
"Yes. You have stepped in between me and the realization of my dearestwish, of my main object in life. You are, I take it, a soldier and agentleman. There is a way by which men of honor settle thesedisputes--I invite you to follow it."
The fantastic proposal was made with an air of dignity that robbed itof any inherent ludicrousness. Greatly as he despised this man,Medenham could not wholly conceal the wonder that leaped to his eyes.
"Are you suggesting t
hat we should fight a duel?" he asked, smilingwith incredulity, yet constrained to believe that Marigny was reallyspeaking in cold blood.
"Yes--oh, yes. A duel--no make-believe!"
A curious change came into Marigny's voice at that instant. He seemedto bark each staccato phrase; a vindictive fire gleamed in his blackeyes, and the olive tint showed beneath the pink and white of hisskin.
Medenham laughed, almost good-humoredly.
"The notion is worthy of you," he said. "I might have expected it, butI fancied you were more sensible. Surely you know enough of my worldto realize that such a thing is impossible."
"It must be made possible," said Marigny gravely.
"It cannot--I refuse."
"I am partly prepared for some such answer, but I shall be just to youin my thoughts, Viscount Medenham. I know you are a brave man. It isnot cowardice, but your insular convention that restrains you fromfacing me on the field. Nevertheless, I insist."
Medenham threw out an impatient hand.
"You are talking arrant nonsense, for what purpose I can hardlyconceive," he said, frowning with vexation at the tragi-comedy intowhich he had been drawn. "Frenchmen, it is true, regard these thingsfrom a different standpoint. That which seems rational to you islittle else than buffoonery to me. If that is your object in seekingan interview, it has now been accomplished. I absolutely decline toentertain the proposition for a moment. You have certainly succeededin lending an air of drivel to a controversy that I regard as serious.I came here filled with very bitter thoughts toward you, but yourburlesque has disarmed me. It is only fair, however, that I shouldwarn you not to cross my path again, since one's sense of humor maybecome strained, and that will be bad for you."
His attitude seemed to betoken an immediate departure, but Marignylooked at him so fixedly that he waited to hear what the other hadto say. He was quite determined now to keep Cynthia out of thediscussion. Even Vanrenen's letter need not be mentioned until he hadseen the millionaire in person and disabused his mind of the ineptinventions with which the Frenchman had perplexed him.
"I don't take your refusal as final," said Count Edouard, speakingvery slowly, and choosing each sentence with evident care. "I was atpains to explain my position, and there now devolves upon me thedisagreeable duty of telling you what will happen if you do not fight.You English may not care to defend your honor in the manner thatappeals to a more sensitive nation like the French, but you arevulnerable in your womenfolk. I now tell you quite frankly, that ifyou do not abandon your pretensions to Miss Cynthia Vanrenen, I shallmake it my special business in life to ruin her socially."
Medenham listened more in amazement than indignation.
At first, the true significance of the threat left him unmoved. In hisears it was a mere repetition of the bogey raised by Vanrenen, andthat was the wildest nonsense.
"I really do not think you are responsible for your words," he began.
Marigny swept aside the protest with an emphatic gesture.
"Oh, yes, I am," he said, his voice low, sibilant, menacing. "I havelaid my plans, and shall pursue them with a complete detachment.Others may suffer--so shall I. I have practically reached the limitof my resources. In a month or less I shall be penniless. Whatmoney I could scrape together I devoted to the furtherance of thismarriage-project, and I am well aware that when you meet Mr. Vanrenen,my poor little cobweb of intrigue will be blown into thin air. You arequite a desirable _parti_, Viscount Medenham--every condition pointsto your speedy and happy union to the lady of your choice. It is,however, a most unfortunate and lamentable fact that she also happensto be the lady of _my_ choice, and I shall revenge myself on you,through her, in the way best calculated to pierce your thick Britishhide. The future Countess of Fairholme should be superior to Caesar'swife in being not only above suspicion, but altogether removed fromits taint. I am afraid that it will be my task to tarnish herescutcheon."
"You miserable rascal," cried Medenham, stung beyond endurance by thisextraordinary declaration of a vile purpose, "why should you imaginethat I shall allow you to sit there and pour forth your venomunscathed? Stand up, you beast, or must I kick you up!"
"Ha! You are ready to fight me now, my worthy Viscount! But not inyour costermonger fashion. You cannot, because I have your promise.You see I have taken your measure with some accuracy, and hard wordswill not move me. I mean you to understand the issue clearly. Eitheryou meet me under conditions that will insure a clear field for thesurvivor, or I devote myself to spreading in every quarter most likelyto prove damaging to Miss Vanrenen the full, though, perhaps, untrue,but none the less fascinating story of her boating excursion on theWye at midnight."
He did then spring to his feet, for Medenham was advancing on himwith obvious intent to stifle the monstrous accusation by force.
"No! No! you will achieve nothing by violence," he shouted. "You arenot so much my physical superior that I cannot defend myself untilassistance arrives, and I will ask you to consider what manner ofgloss will be placed upon your actions if I drag you before amagistrate for an assault. Why, man, you are absolutely at my mercy.You yourself would be my best witness. Ah, _touche_! You felt thepoint that time. _Que diable!_ I gave you credit for a quicker wit,but it is gratifying to learn that you are beginning at last tosee that I am in deadly earnest. When I strike there is nothinghalf-hearted behind my blow; I swear to you that I shall neitherrelent nor draw back. If ruin overwhelm me, Cynthia Vanrenen shall beinvolved in my downfall. Picture to yourself the smiles, the whispers,the half-spoken scandal that will cling to her through life. Who willbelieve her when she says that she was ignorant of your rank when shestarted out from London? The incomparable Cynthia and the naughtyViscount, touring their thousand miles through England with Mrs. Devaras a shield of innocence!... Mrs. Devar!... Can't you hear the longand loud guffaw that would convulse society as soon as _her_ namecropped up? Ah, you are writhing under the lash now, I fancy! It isdawning on you that a peril greater than the sword or bullet may benear. Dozens of people in Paris and London know, or guess, at anyrate, that I was Cynthia Vanrenen's suitor, but as many hundreds asthere were dozens shall be told that I cast her off because ofthe taint placed on her by your silly masquerading. You have noescape--you have no answer--your marriage will only serve to confirmmy words. Do you hear? I shall say.... But you know what I shallsay.... Now, will you fight me?"
"Yes," said Medenham.
A spasm of hate and furious joy struggled for mastery in Marigny'sface, but he showed an iron resolution that almost equaled thecoolness of the man whose scornful gaze might well have abashed him.
"I thought so," he said--"under terms, of course?"
"Terms, you beast! The only terms I ask are that you shall standbefore me with a sword in your hand."
"A sword!--is that quite fair? You Englishmen are not proficient withthe sword. Why not pistols?"
"I think you are right," said Medenham, turning away as if the sightof him was loathsome. "You deserve the death of a dog; it woulddishonor bright steel to touch you."
"We shall see," said Marigny, who having achieved his purpose, wasnow apparently unconcerned as to its outcome. "But it would be follyto fight without arriving at an understanding. I shall try to killyou, and I am sure you will admit that I have striven to force youinto an active reciprocity in that respect. But one might only bewounded--that is the lottery of it--so I stipulate that if fortuneshould favor me, and you still live, you shall agree to leave me inundisturbed possession of the field for at least six months after ourencounter."
Medenham still refused to look at him.
"I agree to no terms or conditions whatsoever," he answered. "I ammeeting you solely because of the foul lie you have dared to utteragainst the reputation of the woman I love. If you breathe a word ofit in any other ear I shall tear your tongue out by the roots, duelor no duel."
"Ah, but that is a pity," jeered the Frenchman. "Don't you see thatunless you accept my offer I shall be compelled to fall back on thesword, s
ince it is absolutely an essential element of my probablesuccess that you should be cleared out of my way? I have no chanceagainst you in the matrimonial market, but I think the odds are in myfavor when cold steel is the arbitrator. Now, could anyone be morefrank than I in this matter? I mean either to win or lose. There mustbe no middle course. Unless you are willing to stand aside, if beaten,I can win only by stepping over your corpse. Why not avoid extremes?They may be unnecessary."
"You have already convinced me that your ethics are drawn from thepolice court, but I see now, that you depend for your wit on thecheaper variety of melodrama," said Medenham, with a quiet derisionthat at last brought a flush of passion to the Frenchman's face. "Ifail to see the need of more words. You have asked for deeds, and youshall have them. When and where do you propose that this encountershall take place?"
"To-morrow morning--about four o'clock--on the sands between Calaisand Wissant."
In spite of all that had gone before, Medenham was unprepared for thiscategorical answer. Were he in full possession of his faculties hemust have seen the trap into which he was being decoyed. Unhappily,Vanrenen's letter had helped to complete the lure, and he was nolonger amenable to the dictates of cold reason.
"That is hardly possible," he said. "I do not propose to bring myselfunder the law as a murderer, Monsieur Marigny. I am ready to take theconsequences of a fair fight, but to secure that, certainpreliminaries are indispensable."
"I was sure you would meet me," said Marigny, smiling nonchalantly ashe lighted the cigarette again. "I have arranged everything, even theattendance of witnesses and a doctor. We cross over to Calais by thenight boat from Dover, pick up the others at the Hotel de la Plage, atwhich they will arrive to-night, and drive straight to the _terrain_.There is no prospect of outside interference. This is not the sort ofduel which either of the combatants is anxious to advertise broadcast.My friends will be discretion itself, and I need hardly express myconviction that you will not make known in England the purpose ofour journey. Of course, it is open to you to bring one of your ownfriends, if you think fit. But my notion is, that these affairs shouldbe settled discreetly in the presence of the smallest possible numberof onlookers. I shall, of course, satisfy you as to the standing ofthe gentlemen I have summoned from Paris. On the table there are theirtelegrams accepting my invitation to meet us at Calais. When you camein I was busy putting my wretched affairs in order. At least I havegiven you proof of my belief in your courage. I even go so far as tosay that I regret most profoundly the necessity which has driven me touse threats against a charming lady in order to wring a challenge outof you. Of course, between ourselves, I know perfectly well that thereis not a word of truth in the statements I have pledged myself tomake, but that defect in nowise detracts from their efficiency.Indeed, it commends them the more to the real purveyor of scandal----"
The door slammed behind Medenham. A dreadful doubt assailed him thatif he did not hurry away from that taunting voice he might be temptedto forget himself--and what torture that would mean to Cynthia! He wasindeed a prey to complex emotions that rendered him utterly incapableof forming a well-balanced judgment. Nothing more illogical, moreill-advised, more thoroughly unsuited to achieve its object than theproposed duel could well be mooted, yet the sheer malignity ofMarigny's ruffianly device to attain his ends had impelled him to thatfinal madness. Notions of right and wrong were topsy-turvy in hisbrain. He was carried along on a current of passion that overturnedevery barrier imposed by sense and prudence. It seemed quitereasonable to one who had often risked life and limb for his country,who, from mere love of sport, had faced many an infuriated tiger andskulking lion, that he should be justified by the eternal law instriving to rid the world of this ultra-beast. He had not scrupled tokill a poisonous snake--why should he flinch from killing a man whosechief equipment was the poison-laden fang of slander? Happily, hecould use a sword in a fashion that might surprise Marigny mostwofully. If he did not succeed in killing the wretch, he would surelydisable him, and the thought sent such a thrill of fierce pleasurethrough his veins that he resolutely closed his eyes to the lamentableresults that must follow his own death.
Cynthia, at least, would not suffer; that was all he cared for. Nomatter what happened, he did not imagine for one moment that she wouldmarry Marigny. But that eventuality hardly troubled him at all. TheFrenchman had chosen the sword, and he must abide by its sternarbitrament.
"Home!" he said to Dale, finding his retainer's eye bent inquiringlyon him when he reached the street. The word had a curiously detachedsound in his ears. "Home!" It savored of rank lunacy to think thatwithin a few short hours he would be standing on foreign soil,striving desperately with naked steel to defend his own life anddestroy another's.