f the room was of the opinion that Stanislas was
in the wrong, his white face and his demeanor convicted him of a lie;
the other half admired M. de Bargeton's attitude. Chatelet was solemn
and mysterious. M. de Bargeton stayed a few minutes, scrutinized
people's faces, and retired.

"Have you pistols?" Chatelet asked in a whisper of Stanislas, who shook
from head to foot.

Amelie knew what it all meant. She felt ill, and the women flocked
about her to take her into her bedroom. There was a terrific sensation;
everybody talked at once. The men stopped in the drawing-room, and
declared, with one voice, that M. de Bargeton was within his right.

"Would you have thought the old fogy capable of acting like this?" asked
M. de Saintot.

"But he was a crack shot when he was young," said the pitiless Jacques.
"My father often used to tell me of Bargeton's exploits."

"Pooh! Put them at twenty paces, and they will miss each other if you
give them cavalry pistols," said Francis, addressing Chatelet.

Chatelet stayed after the rest had gone to reassure Stanislas and his
wife, and to explain that all would go off well. In a duel between a
man of sixty and a man of thirty-five, all the advantage lay with the
latter.

Early next morning, as Lucien sat at breakfast with David, who had come
back alone from Marsac, in came Mme. Chardon with a scared face.

"Well, Lucien," she said, "have you heard the news? Everyone is talking
of it, even the people in the market. M. de Bargeton all but killed M.
de Chandour this morning in M. Tulloy's meadow; people are making puns
on the name. (Tue Poie.) It seems that M. de Chandour said that he found
you with Mme. de Bargeton yesterday."

"It is a lie! Mme. de Bargeton is innocent," cried Lucien.

"I heard about the duel from a countryman, who saw it all from his cart.
M. de Negrepelisse came over at three o'clock in the morning to be M. de
Bargeton's second; he told M. de Chandour that if anything happened
to his son-in-law, he should avenge him. A cavalry officer lent the
pistols. M. de Negrepelisse tried them over and over again. M. du
Chatelet tried to prevent them from practising with the pistols, but
they referred the question to the officer; and he said that, unless they
meant to behave like children, they ought to have pistols in working
order. The seconds put them at twenty-five paces. M. de Bargeton looked
as if he had just come out for a walk. He was the first to fire; the
ball