want to fight and yet not have
to fight, after all. But I was mistaken. His pluck proved it. He's a
brave fellow and did want to fight."

"There isn't any doubt about that," said Howard, and added, in a grieved
tone, "but what an unworthy sort of Christian that Angelo is--I hope and
believe there are not many like him. It is not right to engage in a duel
on the Sabbath--I could not approve of that myself; but to finish one
that has been begun--that is a duty, let the day be what it may."

They strolled along, still wondering, still talking.

"It is a curious circumstance," remarked the surgeon, halting Wilson a
moment to paste some more court-plaster on his chin, which had gone
to leaking blood again, "that in this duel neither of the parties who
handled the pistols lost blood while nearly all the persons present in
the mere capacity of guests got hit. I have not heard of such a thing
before. Don't you think it unusual?"

"Yes," said the Judge, "it has struck me as peculiar. Peculiar and
unfortunate. I was annoyed at it, all the time. In the case of Angelo it
made no great difference, because he was in a measure concerned, though
not officially; but it troubled me to see the seconds compromised, and
yet I knew no way to mend the matter.

"There was no way to mend it," said Howard, whose ear was being
readjusted now by the doctor; "the code fixes our place, and it would
not have been lawful to change it. If we could have stood at your
side, or behind you, or in front of you, it--but it would not have been
legitimate and the other parties would have had a just right to complain
of our trying to protect ourselves from danger; infractions of the code
are certainly not permissible in any case whatever."

Wilson offered no remarks. It seemed to him that there was very little
place here for so much solemnity, but he judged that if a duel where
nobody was in danger or got crippled but the seconds and the outsiders
had nothing ridiculous about it for these gentlemen, his pointing out
that feature would probably not help them to see it.

He invited them in to take a nightcap, and Howard and the judge
accepted, but the doctor said he would have to go and see how Angelo's
principal wound was getting on.

[It was now Sunday, and in the afternoon Angelo was to be received
into the Baptist communion by immersion--a doubtful prospect, the
doctor feared.]

CHAPTER VII. LUIGI DEFIES GALEN

When the doc