CHAPTER XXVIII.
Thy incivility shall not make me fail to do what becomes me; and sincethou hast more valour than courtesy, I for thee will hazard that lifewhich thou wouldst take from me.--Cassandra, "elegantly done intoEnglish by Sir Charles Cotterell."
About the usual hour for the promenade in the Tuileries, I conveyedmyself thither. I set the chain and ring in full display, rendered stillmore conspicuous by the dark coloured dress which I always wore. Ihad not been in the gardens ten minutes, before I perceived a youngFrenchman, scarcely twenty years of age, look with a very peculiar airat my new decorations. He passed and repassed me, much oftener than thealternations of the walk warranted; and at last, taking off his hat,said in a low tone, that he wished much for the honour of exchanging afew words with me in private. I saw, at the first glance, that he wasa gentleman, and accordingly withdrew with him among the trees, in themore retired part of the garden.
"Permit me," said he, "to inquire how that ring and chain came into yourpossession?"
"Monsieur," I replied, "you will understand me, when I say, thatthe honour of another person is implicated in my concealment of thatsecret."
"Sir," said the Frenchman, colouring violently, "I have seen thembefore--in a word, they belong to me!"
I smiled--my young hero fired at this. "Oui, Monsieur," said he,speaking very loud, and very quick, "they belong to me, and I insistupon your immediately restoring them, or vindicating your claim to themby arms."
"You leave me but one answer, Monsieur," said I; "I will find a friendto wait upon you immediately. Allow me to inquire your address?" TheFrenchman, who was greatly agitated, produced a card. We bowed andseparated.
I was glancing over the address I held in my hand, which was--C.D'Azimart, Rue de Bourbon Numero--, when my ears were saluted with--
"'Now do you know me?--thou shouldst be Alonzo.'"
I did not require the faculty of sight to recognize Lord Vincent. "Mydear fellow," said I, "I am rejoiced to see you!" and thereupon I pouredinto his ear the particulars of my morning adventure. Lord Vincentlistened to me with much apparent interest, and spoke very unaffectedlyof his readiness to serve me, and his regret at the occasion.
"Pooh." said I, "a duel in France, is not like one in England; theformer is a matter of course; a trifle of common occurrence; one makesan engagement to fight, in the same breath as an engagement to dine;but the latter is a thing of state and solemnity--long faces--earlyrising--and willmaking. But do get this business over as soon as youcan, that we may dine at the Rocher afterwards."
"Well, my dear Pelham," said Vincent, "I cannot refuse you my services;and as I suppose Monsieur D'Azimart will choose swords, I venture toaugur everything from your skill in that species of weapon. It is thefirst time I have ever interfered in affairs of this nature, but I hopeto get well through the present,
"'Nobilis ornatur lauro collega secundo,'
as Juvenal says: au revoir," and away went Lord Vincent, half forgettingall his late anxiety for my life, in his paternal pleasure for thedelivery of his quotation.
Vincent is the only punster I ever knew with a good heart. No action tothat race in general is so serious an occupation as the play upon words;and the remorseless habit of murdering a phrase, renders them perfectlyobdurate to the simple death of a friend. I walked through every varietythe straight paths of the Tuileries could afford, and was beginning toget exceedingly tired, when Lord Vincent returned. He looked very grave,and I saw at once that he was come to particularize the circumstances ofthe last extreme. "The Bois de Boulogne--pistols--in one hour," were thethree leading features of his detail.
"Pistols!" said I; "well, be it so. I would rather have had swords, forthe young man's sake as much as my own: but thirteen paces and a steadyaim will settle the business as soon. We will try a bottle of thechambertin to-day, Vincent." The punster smiled faintly, and for once inhis life made no reply. We walked gravely and soberly to my lodgingsfor the pistols, and then proceeded to the engagement as silently asChristians should do.
The Frenchman and his second were on the ground first. I saw that theformer was pale and agitated, not, I think, from fear, but passion. Whenwe took our ground, Vincent came to me, and said, in a low tone, "ForGod's sake, suffer me to accommodate this, if possible?"
"It is not in our power," said I, receiving the pistol. I lookedsteadily at D'Azimart, and took my aim. His pistol, owing, I suppose,to the trembling of his hand, went off a moment sooner than he hadanticipated--the ball grazed my hat. My aim was more successful--Istruck him in the shoulder--the exact place I had intended. He staggereda few paces, but did not fall.
We hastened towards him--his cheek assumed a still more livid hue as Iapproached; he muttered some half-formed curses between his teeth, andturned from me to his second.
"You will inquire whether Monsieur D'Azimart is satisfied," said I toVincent, and retired to a short distance.
"His second," said Vincent, (after a brief conference with that person,)"replies to my question, that Monsieur D'Azimart's wound has left him,for the present, no alternative." Upon this answer I took Vincent's arm,and we returned forthwith to my carriage.
"I congratulate you most sincerely on the event of this duel," saidVincent. "Monsieur de M--(D'Azimart's second) informed me, when I waitedon him, that your antagonist was one of the most celebrated pistol shotsin Paris, and that a lady with whom he had been long in love, made thedeath of the chain-bearer the price of her favours. Devilish lucky foryou, my good fellow, that his hand trembled so; but I did not know youwere so good a shot."
"Why," I answered, "I am not what is vulgarly termed 'a crack shot'--Icannot split a bullet on a penknife; but I am sure of a target somewhatsmaller than a man: and my hand is as certain in the field as it is inthe practice-yard."
"Le sentiment de nos forces les augmente," replied Vincent. "Shall Itell the coachman to drive to the Rocher?"