'oozed out' a little at this sight. The Duke de la Rochefoucault, I
believe, said truly, that 'many would be cowards if they dared.' There
seemed to me to be no physical and less moral necessity for my fighting
this duel; but I did not venture to reason on a point of honour with my
spirited second. I bravadoed to Harriot most magnanimously; but at night,
when Marriott was undressing me, I could not forbear giving her a hint,
which I thought might tend to preserve the king's peace, and the peace of
the county. I went to the ground in the morning in good spirits, and with
a safe conscience. Harriot was in admiration of my 'lion-port;' and, to do
her justice, she conducted herself with great coolness upon the occasion;
but then it may be observed, that it was I who was to stand fire, and not
she. I thought of poor Lawless a billion of times, at least, as we were
going to the ground; and I had my presentiments, and my confused notions
of poetic justice: but poetic justice, and all other sorts of justice,
went clear out of my head, when I saw my antagonist and her friend,
actually pistol in hand, waiting for us; they were both in men's clothes.
I secretly called upon the name of Marriott with fervency, and I looked
round with more anxiety than ever Bluebeard's wife, or 'Anne, sister
Anne!' looked to see if any body was coming: nothing was to be seen but
the grass blown by the wind--no Marriott to throw herself _toute eploree_
between the combatants--no peace-officers to bind us over to our good
behaviour--no deliverance at hand; and Mrs. Luttridge, by all the laws of
honour, as challenged, was to have the first shot. Oh, those laws of
honour! I was upon the point of making an apology, in spite of them all,
when, to my inexpressible joy, I was relieved from the dreadful
alternative of being shot through the head, or of becoming a
laughing-stock for life, by an incident, less heroic, I'll grant you, than
opportune. But you shall have the whole scene, as well as I can recollect
it; _as well_--for those who for the first time go into a field of battle
do not, as I am credibly informed and internally persuaded, always find