d beginning to draw panting breaths. From time to time, as
their swords clashed violently together, bluish sparks flew from them;
but the defence was growing perceptibly weaker, and de Sigognac was
steadily forcing the duke to give way before his attack. When he saw the
state of affairs, the Chevalier de Vidalinc turned very pale, and began
to feel really anxious for his friend, who was so evidently getting the
worst of it.

"Why the devil doesn't he try that wonderful thrust he learned from
Girolamo of Naples?" murmured he. "This confounded Gascon cannot
possibly know anything about that."

As if inspired by the same thought, the young duke did, at that very
moment, try to put it into execution; but de Sigognac, aware of what he
was preparing to do, not only prevented but anticipated him, and touched
and wounded his adversary in the arm--his sword going clean through it.

The pain was so intense that the duke's fingers could no longer grasp
his sword, and it fell to the ground. The baron, with the utmost
courtesy, instantly desisted, although he was entitled by the rules
of the code to follow up his blow with another--for the duel does not
necessarily come to an end with the first blood drawn. He turned the
point of his sword to the ground, put his left hand on his hip, and
stood silently awaiting his antagonist's pleasure. But Vallombreuse
could not hold the sword which his second had picked up and presented to
him, after a nod of acquiescence from de Sigognac; and he turned away
to signify that he had had enough. Whereupon, the marquis and the baron,
after bowing politely to the others, set forth quietly to walk back to
the town.

CHAPTER X. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE

After the surgeon had bandaged his injured arm, and arranged a sling for
it, the Duke of Vallombreuse was put carefully into a chair, which had
been sent for in all haste, to be taken home. His wound was not in the
least a dangerous one, though it would deprive him of the use of his
right hand for some time to come, for the blade had gone quite through
the forearm; but, most fortunately, without severing any important
tendons or arteries. He suffered a great deal of pain from it of
course, but still more from his wounded pride; and he felt furiously and
unreasonably angry with everything and everybody about him. It seemed
to be somewhat of a relief to him to swear savagely at his bearers, and
call them all the hardest names he could think of, whenev