s of wine which he had brought with him
from the board on purpose.

He was on his feet then! with what a spring! as in the fairy tale the
beautiful princess of a sudden became a sword. Just such eyes of fire
Mr. Middleton had never been privileged to see. But Faith saw the hands
drop and grasp each other, she saw the eyes fall, and the colour go and
come and go again, with a rush and swiftness that was startling to see.
Absolutely motionless, the very breath kept down, so he stood. And even
his assailant gazed, in a sort of spell-bound wonder. The twittering
birds overhead, how they carolled; how softly the leaves rustled, and
the river sent up its little waves: and the sunshine and shadow crept
on, measuring off the seconds. The pure peace and beauty of everything,
the hush of human voices, were but the setting of the deep human
struggle. The victory came.

With a face from which at last the colour had taken its permanent
departure, Mr. Linden looked up and spoke; and something made the very
low tones ring in the air.

"I have said nothing about you which needed apology, Mr. Middleton. You
have been misinformed, sir." And with that same bend of dismissal Mr.
Linden drew himself up and walked away, bareheaded as he was. The trees
hid him in a moment.

Then there came a stir.

"What a coward!" cried George Alcott, pressing forward, "to do that to
a man who you knew wouldn't knock you down!"

The young German had started up, sputtering strange things in his
native tongue.

"Mr. Linden is an excellent commentator," said one young lady, who took
the liberty of speech pretty freely. "How clear he makes it that 'The
discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass by
a transgression.'"

"I really thought," said Mr. Motley, in a make-believe whisper, "when
Middleton first came up, that he had been taking a glass too much, but
now I see that he took just half a glass too little!"

"Sir," said Colonel Rye, stepping forward, a man of most noble
character and presence both, "Mr. Linden is my guest and friend, you
must answer this to me."

Before Mr. Middleton could make answer, Faith had come in between and
laid hold of the Colonel's hand. She was white, and quiet, but she
could not at once speak. All around stood still.

"Sir," she said, in words that were well heard for everybody held his
breath, "Colonel Rye, this is Mr. Linden's affair."

"I beg your pardon, my dear young lady--it is mine."