oined with you gentlemen in drinking bouts that
end by becoming coarse brawls. Give me satisfaction for the injury to my
honour! We shall meet again when you are sober--follow me, Gerwazy!"

The Chamberlain had never expected any such answer as this, and was just
filling his glass, when he was smitten by the insolence of the Count as by
thunder: resting the bottle motionless against the glass, he leaned his
head to one side and pricked up his ears, opening wide his eyes and half
unclosing his lips; he held his peace, but squeezed the glass in his hand
so powerfully that it broke with a snap and sent the liquor spurting into
his eyes. One would have said that with the wine fire was poured into his
soul; so did his face flame, so did his eye blaze. He struggled to speak;
the first word he ground indistinctly in his mouth, until it flew forth
between his teeth:--

"Fool! you cub of a Count! I'll teach you! Thomas, my sabre! I'll teach
you _mores_, you fool; get to hell out of here! Respects and offices wound
your delicate ears! I'll pay you up right off over your pretty earrings.
Get out of the door, draw your sword! Thomas, my sabre!"

Then friends rushed to the Chamberlain, and the Judge seized his hand.

"Hold, sir, this is our affair; I was challenged first. Protazy, my
hanger! I will make him dance like a bear on a pole!"

But Thaddeus checked the Judge:--

"My dear uncle, and Your Honour the Chamberlain, is it fitting for you
gentlemen to meddle with this fop? Are there not young men here? And you,
my brave youth, who challenge old men to combat, we shall see whether you
are so terrible a knight; we will settle accounts to-morrow, and chose our
place and weapons. To-day depart, while you are still whole."

The advice was good; the Warden and the Count had fallen into no common
straits. At the upper end of the table only a mighty shouting was raging,
but at the lower end bottles were flying around the head of the Count. The
frightened women began to beseech and weep; Telimena, with a cry of
"Alas!" lifted her eyes, rose, and fell in a faint; and, inclining her
neck over the Count's shoulder, laid upon his breast her swan's breast.
The Count, infuriated though he was, checked himself in his mad career,
and began to revive her and chafe her.

Meanwhile Gerwazy, exposed to the blows of stools and bottles, was already
tottering; already the servants, doubling up their fists, were rushing on
him from all sides in a