Part 18 (1/2)
A fire of exultation leapt through rinned atin his face that steadied ht leave hi ain he stepped back, thrusting so quickly that I had barely time to recover
”Excellent!” said my father ”You are quick, my son You even have an eye”
”Mademoiselle!” I called sharply ”The paper! In the breast pocket of his coat Take it out and burn it”
”Good God!” exclaimed my father
”You see,” I said, ”I havethe thrust hich I ended ratulations You have a better mind and a better sword than I could reasonably have expected Indeed, you quite make me extend myself But you must learn to recover ood ainst an ordinary swordsood one, but as for h twice over Indeed I would, if--”
”The paper, Madeot it?”
”Exactly,” said my father ”The paper If the paper were in eon's hands The paper, however, is upstairs in my volume of Rabelais And now--”
His wrist suddenly stiffened He made a feint at uard As I carasp At the same time I stepped past his point, and seized him around the waist
”You heard, Madeether
My father uttered so which seemed very near a curse, and clutched at rasp to fend away his hand, and he broke away fro to his feet Just as he did so there was a blow, a splintering of wood The door was carried off its hinges, and Brutus leapt beside hiretfully at the ses on his cambric shi+rt
”My coat, if you please, Mademoiselle,” he said ”I see you have it in your hands Gad,than I expected On my word, I did not know that Brutus was back”
”He is like you, captain,” said Made the coat to him
”You are both stubborn”
For soood nature had returned It was relief, perhaps, that made her smile at us
”It is a fa down the door had been a simple household duty, Brutus turned from it with quiet passivity, and adjusted the folds of the blue broadcloth with an equal thoroughness, while htened the lace at his wrists
”Huh,” said Brutus suddenly Then I noticed that his stockings were caked with river etful of his coat for the mootten,” he cried ”What news, you black rascal?”
”Huh,” said Brutus again, and handed him a spotted slip of paper My father's lips parted He seized it with unusual alacrity, read it, and tossed it in the fire Then he sighed, like a ht of care has been lifted The tenseness seeure, and for an instant he looked as though the day had tired hih another crisis were over
”He's there?” he demanded sharply
”Huh,” said Brutus
”Now heaven be praised for that,” saidthat was a close approach to fervor ”I was beginning to wonder if, perhaps, so had happened”
Madeood news?” she asked