he was going to be so ridiculous
as to become a well-behaved man. It is true that some people, in order
to preserve his reputation for him, whispered that this apparent
conversion had no other cause than the jealousy of Mademoiselle de
Conti, daughter of the duchess, and granddaughter of the great Conde,
who it was said honored the regent's captain of the guards with a
particular affection. His alliance with the Duc de Richelieu, who on his
side was supposed to be the lover of Mademoiselle de Charolais, gave
consistency to this report.

The Comte de Fargy, generally called "Le Beau Fargy," thus substituting
the title which he had received from nature for that which his fathers
had left him was cited, as his name indicates, as the handsomest man of
his time, which in that age of gallantry imposed obligations from which
he had never recoiled, and from which he had always come with honor.
Indeed, it was impossible to be a more perfect figure than he was. At
once strong and graceful, supple and active, he seemed to unite all the
different perfections of a hero of romance of that time. Add to this a
charming head, uniting the most opposite styles of beauty; that is to
say, black hair and blue eyes, strongly-marked features, and a
complexion like a woman. Unite with all these, wit, loyalty, the
greatest courage, and you will have an idea of the high consideration
which Le Fargy must have enjoyed from the society of that mad period.

As to the Chevalier de Ravanne, who has left us such strange memoirs of
his early life, that, in spite of their authenticity, one is tempted to
believe them apocryphal, he was still but a youth, rich and of noble
birth, who entered into life by a golden door, and ran into all its
pleasures with the fiery imprudence and eagerness of his age. He carried
to excess, as so many do at eighteen, all the vices and all the virtues
of his day. It will be easily understood how proud he was to serve as
second to men like Lafare and Fargy in a meeting which was likely to
"make a noise."

CHAPTER II.

THE MEETING.

As soon as Lafare, Fargy, and Ravanne saw their adversaries appear at
the corner of the path, they walked to meet them. Arrived at ten paces
from each other, they all took off their hats and bowed with that
elegant politeness which was a characteristic of the aristocracy of the
eighteenth century, and advanced some steps thus bareheaded with a smile
on their lips, so that to the eyes o