a great fear.

Breathless and voiceless she reached the spot just as the two
combatants' swords had clashed, and the seconds on either side had given
the signal for another round. Griselda went up to Leslie Travers and
seized his arm.

"Stop!" she said, "for my sake."

Her appearance seemed to paralyze both combatants.

"It is for your sake," Leslie said in a low voice. "Let go, my love--let
go! I must carry this on to the bitter end."

"You shall not! Desist, sir!" she said, turning upon Sir Maxwell Danby.

Then the seconds drew near, and the doctor, Mr. Cheyne.

"I will have no blood shed for me," Griselda said, gathering strength in
the emergency of the moment. "I will stand here till you give up this
conflict."

"Unfortunately, fair lady, we have no intention of giving up till we
have settled our little affair as men of honour should," said Sir
Maxwell.

"Stand back, Griselda--stand back!" Leslie cried in despairing tones.
"There is only one condition on which I will give in; yonder base man
knows what that condition is. He must withdraw the lies he has uttered
concerning you."

"I know not what the lies are," Griselda said; "but if lies, will the
death of him who uttered them, or of you who resent them, convince those
who believe them that they _are_ lies? Nay," she said, her breast
heaving and her voice trembling, though every slowly-uttered word was
distinctly heard. "Nay, wrong-doing can never, never make evil good, or
set wrong right."

"Pardon me, fairest of your sex," said Sir Maxwell; "permit me to ask
you to withdraw. We will prove our strength once more; and, unwilling as
I am to do so in the presence of a lady, I must, as your--your noble
friend says, carry this matter through."

"Can't you come to an understanding, gentlemen?" Mr. Dickinson said.
"Upon my soul, I wish I could wash my hands of the whole business. A
miserable business it is!"

"Beresford," Leslie said to his second, "help me to get free from her,
or she may be hurt in the conflict."

But Griselda still clung to his arm; and how it might have ended who can
tell, had not Sir Maxwell said in his satirical, bitter voice:

"It is new in the annals of the world's history for a woman to be used
as a shield by a man! Coward--poltroon is a more fitting phrase for such
an one."

Mr. Beresford caught Griselda as with a desperate effort Leslie
unclasped the long white fingers which were clasped round his arm, and
saying: "Guard h