FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  
h darted back, swept his arm blindly, and cried out; for with the full impetus of the mishap, a shock had run from wrist to elbow. He dropped his sword, and in stupefaction watched the red blood coursing down his forearm, and his third finger twitching convulsively, beyond control. "Dear fellow!" cried his opponent, scrambling upright. "So sorry! I say, that's a bad one." With a stick and a handkerchief, he twisted on a tourniquet, muttering condolence: "Pain much? Lost my balance, you know. That better?--What a clumsy accident!" Then, dodging out from the plantain screen, and beckoning,--"All you chaps! Come over here!" Nesbit came running, but at sight of the bloody victim, pulled up short. "What ho!" he whispered, first with a stare, then a grin of mysterious joy. Sturgeon gave a sympathetic whistle, and stolidly unwound bandages. At first the two Napoleons remained aloof, but at last, yielding to indignant shouts, haughtily approached. The little group stood at fault. Heywood wiped his sword-blade very carefully on a plantain leaf; then stood erect, to address them with a kind of cool severity. "I regret this more than anybody," he declared, pausing, and picking his words. "We were at practice, and my friend had the misfortune to be run through the arm." Chantel flung out his hands, in a motion at once furious and impudent. "Zut! What a farce!--Will you tell me, please, since your friend has disabled himself"-- Heywood wheeled upon him, scornfully. "You have no right to such an expression," he stated, with a coldness which conveyed more rage than the other man's heat. "This was entirely my fault. It's I who have spoiled your--arrangement, and therefore I am quite ready to take up my friend's quarrel." "I have no quarrel with you," replied Chantel, contemptuously. "You saw last night how he--" "He was quicker than I, that's all. By every circumstance, I'm the natural proxy. Besides"--the young man appealed to the company, smiling--"besides, what a pity to postpone matters, and spoil the occasion, when Doctor Chantel has gone to the trouble of a clean shirt." The doctor recoiled, flung up a trembling arm, and as quickly dropped it. His handsome face burned darker, then faded with a mortal pallor, and for one rigid moment, took on such a strange beauty as though it were about to be translated into bronze. His brown fingers twitched, became all nerves and sinews and white knuckles. Then, stepping
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Chantel
 

friend

 

Heywood

 
quarrel
 
plantain
 
dropped
 

furious

 

motion

 

impudent

 

arrangement


spoiled
 
conveyed
 

disabled

 

wheeled

 

scornfully

 

coldness

 

expression

 

stated

 

pallor

 

mortal


moment
 

strange

 

darker

 
quickly
 

trembling

 
handsome
 
burned
 

beauty

 

nerves

 

sinews


stepping

 

knuckles

 
twitched
 
fingers
 

translated

 
bronze
 

recoiled

 

doctor

 

circumstance

 

natural


appealed

 

Besides

 
contemptuously
 

quicker

 
company
 
smiling
 

Doctor

 

trouble

 
occasion
 

postpone