lace curtains. "There is a woman," said De Wardes, smiling, "who does
not suspect that we are going to fight - to die, perhaps, on her account."


Chapter XIII:
The Combat.

De Wardes and De Guiche selected their horses, and saddled them with
their own hands, with holster saddles. De Guiche, having two pairs of
pistols, went to his apartments to get them; and after having loaded
them, gave the choice to De Wardes, who selected the pair he had made use
of twenty times before - the same, indeed, with which De Guiche had seen
him kill swallows flying. "You will not be surprised," he said, "if I
take every precaution. You know the weapons well, and, consequently, I
am only making the chances equal."

"Your remark was quite useless," replied De Guiche, "and you have done no
more than you are entitled to do."

"Now," said De Wardes, "I beg you to have the goodness to help me to
mount; for I still experience a little difficulty in doing so."

"In that case, we had better settle the matter on foot."

"No; once in the saddle, I shall be all right."

"Very good, then; we will not speak of it again," said De Guiche, as he
assisted De Wardes to mount his horse.

"And now," continued the young man, "in our eagerness to murder one