Part 8 (2/2)
”I speak of hi ainst him”
”You demand it, do you? My God, what next?”
”That is for you to say, entleman into a more or less successful effort of self-control
”Let me warn you,” said he, acidly, ”that it is not wise to ainst a nobleman That, in itself, is a punishable offence, as you may learn Now listen toyour stateamekeeper may have exceeded his duty; but by so little that it is hardly worth comment
Consider, however, that in any case it is not a 's Lieutenant, or for any court but the seigneurial court of M de La Tour d'Azyr hi that such ahis own seigneurial jurisdiction As a lawyer you should not need to be told so ue the point But, as a lawyer I also realize that if that case were prosecuted, it could only end in the unjust punishamekeeper, who did no more than carry out his orders, but who none the less would now be oat were necessary I aallows earned by M de La Tour d'Azyr”
M de Lesdiguieres smote the table violently ”My God!” he cried out, to add ularly insolent, my man”
”That is nota case--the case of M de Vil the King's justice”
”But you yourself have said that it was a duel!” cried the Lieutenant, between anger and bewilderment
”I have said that it was made to appear a duel There is a distinction, as I shall show, if you will condescend to hear me out”
”Take your own tiuieres, whose tenure of office had never yet held anything that remotely resembled this experience
Andre-Louis took him literally ”I thank you, sir,” he answered, soleument ”It can be shown that M de Vil in all his life, and it is notorious that M de La Tour d'Azyr is an exceptional swordsman Is it a duel, monsieur, where one of the combatants alone is armed? For it amounts to that on a comparison of their measures of respective skill”
”There has scarcely been a duel fought on which the saht not be advanced”
”But not alith equal justice And in one case, at least, it was advanced successfully”
”Successfully? When was that?”
”Ten years ago, in Dauphiny I refer to the case of M de Gesvres, a gentleman of that province, who forced a duel upon M de la Roche Jeannine, and killed him M de Jeannine was a member of a powerful family, which exerted itself to obtain justice It put forward just such arguainst M de La Tour d'Azyr As you will rees held that the provocation had proceeded of intent frouilty of preuieres exploded yet again ”Death of est that M de La Tour d'Azyr should be hanged? Have you?”
”But why not, monsieur, if it is the law, and there is precedent for it, as I have shown you, and if it can be established that what I state is the truth--as established it can be without difficulty?”
”Do you ask me, why not? Have you temerity to ask me that?”
”I have, monsieur Can you answer me? If you cannot, monsieur, I shall understand that whilst it is possible for a powerful family like that of La Roche Jeannine to set the law in motion, the law must remain inert for the obscure and uninfluential, however brutally wronged by a great nobleuainst this irew more fierce
”I should advise you to take yourself off at once, and to be thankful for the opportunity to depart unscathed”
”I am, then, to understand, monsieur, that there will be no inquiry into this case? That nothing that I can say will move you?”
”You are to understand that if you are still there in two minutes it will be very uieres tinkled the silver hand-bell upon his table
”I have inforht, and a man killed It see's justice, that duels are against the law, and that it is your duty to hold an inquiry I coal representative of the bereaved mother of M de Vilmorin to demand of you the inquiry that is due”