appease the
quarrel between him and the Frenchman.

After the ball came the supper, which was laid at separate little
tables, where parties of half a dozen enjoyed themselves. Lord Kew was
of the Duchess's party, where our Gascon friend had not a seat. But
being one of the managers of the entertainment, his lordship went about
from table to table, seeing that the guests at each lacked nothing. He
supposed too that the dispute with the Gascon had possibly come to an
end; at any rate, disagreeable as the other's speech had been, he had
resolved to put up with it, not having the least inclination to drink
the Frenchman's blood, or to part with his own on so absurd a quarrel.
He asked people in his good-natured way to drink wine with him; and
catching M. Victor's eye scowling at him from a distant table, he sent
a waiter with a champagne-bottle to his late opponent, and lifted his
glass as a friendly challenge. The waiter carried the message to M.
Victor, who, when he heard it, turned up his glass, and folded his arms
in a stately manner. "M. de Castillonnes dit qu'il refuse, milor,"
said the waiter, rather scared. "He charged me to bring that message
to milor." Florac ran across to the angry Gascon. It was not while at
Madame d'Ivry's table that Lord Kew sent his challenge and received
his reply; his duties as steward had carried him away from that pretty
early.

Meanwhile the glimmering dawn peered into the windows of the
refreshment-room, and behold, the sun broke in and scared all the
revellers. The ladies scurried away like so many ghosts at cock-crow,
some of them not caring to face that detective luminary. Cigars had been
lighted ere this; the men remained smoking them with those sleepless
German waiters still bringing fresh supplies of drink. Lord Kew gave
the Duchesse d'Ivry his arm, and was leading her out; M. de Castillonnes
stood scowling directly in their way, upon which, with rather an abrupt
turn of the shoulder, and a "Pardon, monsieur," Lord Kew pushed by, and
conducted the Duchesse to her carriage. She did not in the least see
what had happened between the two gentlemen in the passage; she ogled,
and nodded, and kissed her hands quite affectionately to Kew as the fly
drove away.

Florac in the meanwhile had seized his compatriot, who had drunk
champagne copiously with others, if not with Kew, and was in vain
endeavouring to make him hear reason. The Gascon was furious; he vowed
that Lord Kew had struc