eigneur,
disregarding the injunction.

"Her honour is its own sufficient guardian," was responded.

"Have regard, sir, to your future peace," was urged.

"Peace, sir, like silence, never comes for calling for," rejoined
the advocate.

"Impracticable man, have you no fear?" demanded the foiled Montigny
upbraidingly.

"None for my ward; I hope you have as little for your son," said
the lawyer sarcastically.

"Your ward invites my son, by sitting upon the verandah at midnight,
to attract him when he passes by, as the Hebrew woman, Tamar, once
sat to decoy the foolish Judah. Do you deny this? I have learned
all, all," outburst the indignant seigneur.

"Do I deny it?" cried the advocate, the blood, in anger, rushing
to his face. "Dare you affirm it? Monsieur, if you mean seriously
to asperse my ward, I say, prepare;--not for the action of the
law,--no, no, I hate the law, when it is cited for myself,--but
for the action of an old man's arm. Sir, I have been a swordsman
in my youth, and though the lank skeleton of my skill at fence is
buried in disuse, it moves now in the grave of this right hand,
that so long has wielded only the quiet quill. I do not bid you
quail; not I,--but, by the angry devil of the duel, you answer me,
either sword point to sword point; or from the pointing pistol,
that shall speak both sharp and decisive, and the dotting bullet,
perhaps, put a period to your proud life's scrawl. But no; I am
grown too old to have recourse to violence. Away, go, go; but, mind
you, do not breathe this calumny into a human ear,--no, not into
the air. Shame, shame! you are no noble minded man, to villify my
ward and your own son; whom, if I accounted to be as strangely base
as you have shown yourself to be, and have depicted him, I would
forbid to tread within my gates, and hound him from my door at
Stillyside."

"Words only anger you," said the astonished and half daunted
seigneur.

"Such words as yours have been:" was replied. "What! do you expect
to strike upon a bank where bees have settled, yet not be stung;
or dream to be allowed to draw the bare hand, clasping down a sword,
but not be wounded?"

"What shall I say, yet not offend you?" soothingly enquired Montigny.

"Say what you will," the advocate continued: "what can be worse
than what you have said already?"

"Hear me," said the seigneur, in the manner of one who is going to
make a confidential proposal: "Either remove your ward, and
receive a