order to retain his own self respect and the
respect of his comrades he must meet Diamond and give him satisfaction
in any manner he might designate.

But there was another reason why Frank was so willing to meet the
Virginian. Merriwell was an expert fencer. At Fardale he had been the
champion of the school, and he had taken some lessons while traveling.
He had thoroughly studied the trick of disarming his adversary, a trick
which is known to every French fencing master, but is thought little of
by them.

He believed that he could repeatedly disarm Diamond.

His adventures in various parts of the world had made him somewhat less
cautious than he naturally would have been and so he trusted everything
to his ability to get the best of the Virginian.

Roland Ditson longed to force Merriwell to squeal. He did not fancy
Frank knew anything of fencing, and he thought Merriwell would soon lose
his nerve when he saw himself toyed with by Diamond.

And Diamond had promised not to seriously wound the fellow he hated.

The meeting was arranged as quietly as possible, and the freshmen who
were to witness it slipped out of Billy's by twos and threes and strode
away.

Thirty minutes later, in a small, stuffy room, two lads, with their
coats and vests off and their sleeves turned back, faced each other,
rapiers in hand.

"Ready, gentlemen!" called Ditson.

They made ready.

"On guard!"

The position was assumed.

Then came the command that set them at it.

In less than twenty seconds the spectators, who kept back as well as
possible, had seen something they never beheld before. They saw two
beardless lads fighting with deadly weapons and using skill that was
marvelous.

It took Jack Diamond far less than twenty seconds to discover that
Frank Merriwell was a swordsman of astonishing skill. He had expected to
toy with the Northerner, but he found himself engaged with one who met
every stroke like a professional.

A great feeling of relief came over Harry Rattleton.

"Whee jiz!" he muttered. "Merry is a cooler at it! I believe he's
Diamond's match!"

With Diamond astonishment gave way to fury. Was it possible that this
fellow was to get the best of him at everything? He fought savagely, and
Ditson turned white as a ghost when he saw the Virginian making mad
thrusts at the breast of the lad he hated.

"He's forgotten his promise--he's forgotten!" huskily whispered Ditson.
"What if he should run Merriwell through