k; I am about to give the word. Herr
Eisendecker, are your ready?'

A nod was the reply.

'Now!' cried he, in a loud voice; and scarcely was the word uttered when
the discharge of the pistol was heard. So rapid, indeed, was the motion,
that we never saw him lift his arm; nor could any one say what direction
the ball had taken.

'I knew it, I knew it,' muttered Eisendecker's friend, in tones of
agony. 'All is over with him now.'

Before a minute elapsed, the word to fall back was again given, and I
now beheld Von Muehry standing with his pistol in hand, while a smile of
cool but determined malice sat on his features.

While the second repeated the same words over to him, I turned to look
at Eisendecker, but he evinced no apparent consciousness of what was
going on about him; his eyes, as before, were bent on vacancy; his pale
face, unmoved, showed no signs of passion. In an instant the fearful
'Now' rang out, and Muehry slowly raised his arm, and, levelling his
pistol steadily, stood with his eye bent on his victim. While the deep
voice of the second slowly repeated one--two--three--four--never was
anything like the terrible suspense of that moment. It seemed as if the
very seconds of human life were measuring out one by one. As the word
'ten' dropped from his lips, I saw Muehry's hand shake. In his revengeful
desire to kill his man, he had waited too long, and now he was growing
nervous; he let fall his arm to his side, and waited for a few seconds,
then raising it again, he took a steady aim, and at the word 'nineteen'
fired.

A slight movement of Eisendecker's head at this instant brought his face
full front; and the bullet, which would have transfixed his head, now
merely passed along his cheek, tearing a rude flesh-wound as it went.

A half-cry broke from Muehry: I heard not the word; but the accent I
shall never cease to remember. It was now Eisendecker's time; and as the
blood streamed down his cheek, and fell in great drops upon his neck
and shoulders, I saw his face assume the expression it used to wear in
former days. A terrible smile lit up his dark features, and a gleam of
passionate vengeance made his eye glow like that of a maniac.

'I am ready--give the word,' cried he, in frantic impatience.

But Muehry's second, fearful of giving way to such a moment of passion,
hesitated; when Eisendecker again called out, 'The word, sir, the word!'
and the bystanders, indignant at the appearance of unfairness