be worthy of pity, and one of us would have ceased
to exist before the other obtained her, for as long as I shall live
Mdlle. Samson shall not be the wife of another."

This young man, well-made, pale, grave, as cold as a piece of marble,
madly in love, who, in his reason mixed with utter despair, came to speak
to me in such a manner with the most surprising calm, made me pause and
consider. Undoubtedly I was not afraid, but although in love with Mdlle.
Samson I did not feel my passion sufficiently strong to cut the throat of
a man for the sake of her beautiful eyes, or to lose my own life to
defend my budding affection. Without answering the young man, I began to
pace up and down my room, and for a quarter of an hour I weighed the
following question which I put to myself: Which decision will appear more
manly in the eyes of my rival and will win my own esteem to the deeper
degree, namely-to accept coolly his offer to cut one another's throats,
or to allay his anxiety by withdrawing from the field with dignity?

Pride whispered, Fight; Reason said, Compel thy rival to acknowledge thee
a wiser man than he is.

"What would you think of me, sir," I said to him, with an air of
decision, "if I consented to give up my visits to Mdlle. Samson?"

"I would think that you had pity on a miserable man, and I say that in
that case you will ever find me ready to shed the last drop of my blood
to prove my deep gratitude."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Garnier, I am the only son of M. Garnier, wine merchant in
the Rue de Seine."

"Well, M. Gamier, I will never again call on Mdlle. Samson. Let us be
friends."

"Until death. Farewell, sir."

"Adieu, be happy!"

Patu came in five minutes after Garnier had left me: I related the
adventure to him, and he thought I was a hero.

"I would have acted as you have done," he observed, "but I would not have
acted like Garnier."

It was about that time that the Count de Melfort, colonel of the Orleans
regiment, entreated me through Camille, Coraline's sister, to answer two
questions by means of my cabalism. I gave two answers very vague, yet
meaning a great deal; I put them under a sealed envelope and gave them to
Camille, who asked me the next day to accompany her to a place which she
said she could not name to me. I followed her; she took me to the
Palais-Royal, and then, through a narrow staircase, to the apartments of
the Duchess de Chartres. I waited about a quarter of an hour, at