senting your Majesty in this affair."

"Impossible!" said I briefly.

"Consider, sire. To fight you is ruin to M. Wetter."

"As regards that, would not M. Wetter in his turn reflect too late?" I
asked stiffly.

Vohrenlorf looked up with a hopeless dazed expression. Varvilliers was
at a loss. Wetter's figure and face were still unmoved. A sudden idea
came into my head.

"There is no need for M. Wetter to be ruined," said I. "Whatever the
result may be it shall seem an accident."

Wetter looked up with a quick jerk of his head. I glanced at the clock.

"In four hours it will be light," I said. "Let us meet at six in the
Garden Pavilion at the Palace. Varvilliers, since you desire to assist
us, I have no doubt M. Wetter will accept your services. It will be well
to have no more present than necessary. The Pavilion, gentlemen, I need
hardly remind you, is fitted up for revolver practice. Well, there are
targets at each end. It will be unfortunate, but not strange, if one of
us steps carelessly into the line of fire."

They understood my idea. But Varvilliers had an objection.

"What if both of you?" he asked, lifting his brows.

"That's so unlikely," said I. "Come, shall it be so?"

Wetter looked me full in the face, and bowed low.

"I am at his Majesty's orders," said he. He spoke now quite calmly.

Varvilliers and Vohrenlorf seemed to regard him with a sort of wonder.
At the risk of ridicule I must confess to something of the same feeling.
A bullet is no respecter of persons, and has no sympathy with ideas
which (as the Englishman observes) it is hardly unjust to call mediaeval.
Yes, even I myself was a little surprised that Wetter should meet me in
a duel. But, while I was surprised, I was glad.

"I am greatly indebted to M. Wetter," I said, returning his bow, "in
that he does not insist on my disabilities."

For the briefest moment he smiled at me; I think my speech touched his
humour. Then he grew grave again, and thanked Varvilliers formally for
the offer of his services.

"There remains but one thing," said I. "We must assure the ladies that
any difference of opinion there was between us is entirely past. Let us
join them."

Vohrenlorf opened the door of the inner room and I entered, the rest
following. Madame Briande sat in a straight-backed chair at the table;
she had a book before her, but her restless anxious air made me doubt
whether she had read much of it. I looked round for Coralie. There