ead as Rodriguez helped him to his feet.

"Senor," Rodriguez said fervently, "we will finish our encounter come
what may. The knave is gone and ..."

"But I am somewhat giddy," said the other.

"I will take off one of my shoes," said Rodriguez, "leaving the other
on. It will equalise our unsteadiness, and you shall not be
disappointed in our encounter. Come," he added kindly.

"I cannot see so clearly as before," the young hidalgo murmured.

"I will bandage my right eye also," said Rodriguez, "and if this cannot
equalise it ..."

"It is a most fair offer," said the young man.

"I could not bear that you should be disappointed of your encounter,"
Rodriguez said, "by this spirit of Hell that has got itself clothed in
fat and dares to usurp the dignity of man."

"It is a right fair offer," the young man said again.

"Rest yourself, senor," said Rodriguez, "while I take off my shoe," and
he indicated his kerchief which was still on the ground.

The stranger sat down a little wearily, and Rodriguez sitting upon the
dust took off his left shoe. And now he began to think a little
wistfully of the face that had shone from that balcony, where all was
dark now in black shadow unlit by the moon. The emptiness of the
balcony and its darkness oppressed him; for he could scarcely hope to
survive an encounter with that swordsman, whose skill he now recognised
as being of a different class from his own, a class of which he knew
nothing. All his own feints and passes were known, while those of his
antagonist had been strange and new, and he might well have even
others. The stranger's giddiness did not alter the situation, for
Rodriguez knew that his handicap was fair and even generous. He
believed he was near his grave, and could see no spark of light to
banish that dark belief; yet more chances than we can see often guard
us on such occasions. The absence of Serafina saddened him like a
sorrowful sunset.

Rodriguez rose and limped with his one shoe off to the stranger, who
was sitting upon his kerchief.

"I will bandage my right eye now, senor," he said.

The young man rose and shook the dust from the kerchief and gave it to
Rodriguez with a renewed expression of his gratitude at the fairness of
the strange handicap. When Rodriguez had bandaged his eye the stranger
returned his sword to him, which he had held in his hand since his
effort to beat Morano, and drawing his own stepped back a few paces
from him. Rodriguez to