college for
students at law. These students amount to nearly 600 in number. Most young
gentlemen under twenty years of age are at times riotous, or frolicsome, or
foolish. Generally speaking, however, the students conduct themselves with
propriety: but there had been a law-suit between a French and English
suitor, and the Judge pronounced sentence in favour of our countryman. The
hall was crowded with spectators, and among them was a plentiful number of
law-students. As they were retiring, one young Frenchman either made
frightful faces, or contemptible gestures, in a very fixed and insulting
manner, at a young Englishman--the son of this naval captain. Our
countryman had no means or power of noticing or resenting the insult, as
the aggressor was surrounded by his companions. It so happened that it was
fair time at Caen; and in the evening of the same day, our countryman
recognised, in the crowd at the fair, the physiognomy of the young man who
had insulted him in the hall of justice. He approached him, and gave him to
understand that his rude behaviour should be noticed at a proper time and
in a proper place: whereupon the Frenchman came up to him, shook him
violently by the arm, and told him to "fix his distance on the ensuing
morning." Now the habit of duelling is very common among these
law-students; but they measure twenty-five paces, fire, and of course ...
MISS--and then fancy themselves great heroes ... and there is an end of the
affair. Not so upon the present occasion. "Fifteen paces," if you
please--said the student, sarcastically, with a conviction of the
backwardness of his opponent to meet him. "FIVE, rather"--exclaimed the
provoked Englishman--"I will fight you at FIVE paces:"--and it was agreed
that they should meet and fight on the morrow, at five paces only asunder.

Each party was under twenty; but I believe the English youth had scarcely
attained his nineteenth year. What I am about to relate will cause your
flesh to creep. It was determined by the seconds, as _one_ must necessarily
_fall_, from firing at so short a distance, that only _one_ pistol should
be loaded with _ball_: the other having nothing but _powder_:--and that, as
the Frenchman had challenged, he was to have the choice of the pistols.
They parted. The seconds prepared the pistols according to agreement, and
the fatal morning came. The combatants appeared, without one jot of
abatement of spirit or of cool courage. The pistols lay upon t