im
the support he needed in the morning. He rose very late, and his servant
found him more than usually petulant, nor did the message brought back
from Giovanni seem to improve his temper. He met his wife at the midday
breakfast, and was strangely silent, and in the afternoon he shut himself
up in his own rooms and would see nobody. But at dinner he appeared
again, seemingly revived, and declared his intention of accompanying his
wife to a reception given at the Austrian embassy. He seemed so unlike
his usual self, that Corona did not venture to speak of the duel which
had taken place in the morning; for she feared anything which might
excite him, well knowing that excitement might prove fatal. She did what
she could to dissuade him from going out; but he grew petulant, and she
unwillingly yielded.

At the embassy he soon heard all the details, for no one talked of
anything else; but Astrardente was ashamed of not having heard it all
before, and affected a cynical indifference to the tale which the
military attache of the embassy repeated for his benefit. He vouchsafed
some remark to the effect that fighting duels was the natural amusement
of young gentlemen, and that if one of them killed another there was at
least one fool the less in society; after which he looked about him for
some young beauty to whom he might reel off a score of compliments. He
knew all the time that he was making a great effort, that he felt
unaccountably ill, and that he wished he had taken his wife's advice and
stayed quietly at home. But at the end of the evening he chanced to
overhear a remark that Valdarno was making to Casalverde, who looked
exceedingly pale and ill at ease.

"You had better make your will, my dear fellow," said Valdarno. "Spicca
is a terrible man with the foils."

Astrardente turned quickly and looked at the speaker. But both men were
suddenly silent, and seemed absorbed in gazing at the crowd. It was
enough, however. Astrardente had gathered that Casalverde was to fight
Spicca the next day, and that the affair begun that morning had not yet
reached its termination. He determined that he would not again be guilty
of not knowing what was going on in society; and with the intention of
rising early on the following morning, he found Corona, and rather
unceremoniously told her it was time to go home.

On the next day the Duca d'Astrardente walked into the club soon after
ten o'clock. On ordinary occasions that resort of hi