Part 18 (2/2)
”Lieutenant Cary,” said Sir Richard, in a stern voice, ”the wine has surely et yourself!”
”As sober as yourself, , here's one; and a very scurvy one it is, like its subject-- ”Don Desperado Walked on the Prado, And there he met his enemy He pulled out a knife, a, And let out his life, a, And fled for his own across the sea”
And he bowed low to the Spaniard
The insult was too gross to require any spluttering
”Senor Cary, we meet?”
”I thank your quick apprehension, Don Guzdalena Sotomayor de Soto When, where, and eapons?”
”For God's sake, gentleuest; do you know the er was silent Cary answered for him
”An old Irish quarrel, I assure you, sir Athe senor's hel that he was taken prisoner, I was unlucky enough to twitch his mustachios You recollect the fact, of course, senor?”
”Perfectly,” said the Spaniard; and then, half-amused and half- pleased, in spite of his bitter wrath, at Cary's quickness and delicacy in shi+elding Rose, he bowed, and-- ”And it gives me much pleasure to find that he who is a gentlehly worthy of the sword of a De Soto”
Cary bowed in return, while Sir Richard, who saw plainly enough that the excuse was feigned, shrugged his shoulders
”What weapons, senor?” asked Will again
”I should have preferred a horse and pistols,” said Don Guzman after a moment, half to himself, and in Spanish; ”they h and one of his sars must not be choosers”
”The best horse in my stable is at your service, senor,” said Sir Richard Grenville, instantly
”And in mine also, senor,” said Cary; ”and I shall be happy to allow you a week to train him, if he does not answer at first to a Spanish hand”
”You forget in your courtesy, gentle sir, that the insult being with me, the ti with siers Who is your second?”
”Mr Arthur St Leger here, senor: who is yours?”
The Spaniard felt himself alone in the world for one moment; and then answered with another of his shts an Englishlishmen will always find one,” said Sir Richard ”I auest”
”You only add one ation, illustrious cavalier, to a two- years' prodigality of favors, which I shall never be able to repay”
”But, Nephew Arthur,” said Grenville, ”you cannot surely be second against your father's guest, and your own uncle”
”I cannot help it, sir; I am bound by an oath, as Will can tell you I suppose you won't think it necessary to let me blood?”
”You half deserve it, sirrah!” said Sir Richard, as very angry: but the Don interposed quickly
”Heaven forbid, senors! We are no French duellists, who are h to entleh between us, I suspect, to ht bloody encounter”
”The dependence is good enough, sir,” said Cary, licking his sinful lips at the thought ”Very well Rapiers and shi+rts at three to--Is that the bill of fare? Ask Sir Richard where, Atty? It is against punctilio now for me to speak to him till after I am killed”
”On the sands opposite The tide will be out at three And now, gallant gentlemen, let us join the bowlers”
And so they went back and spent a , all except poor Rose, who, ere she went back, had poured all her sorrows into Lady Grenville's ear For the kind wouileless, carried her off into Mrs St Leger's chamber, and there entreated her to tell the truth, and heaped her with pity but with no coive?
Three o'clock, upon a still pure brightA broad and yellow sheet of ribbed tide-sands, through which the shallow river wanders fro round dark knolls of rock, and under low tree-fringed cliffs, and banks of golden brooe and the white walled town, all sleeping pearly in the soft haze, beneath a cloudless vault of blue The white glare of dahich last night hung high in the northwest, has travelled now to the northeast, and above the wooded wall of the hills the sky is flushi+ng with rose and a up inland; the rooks fro round the corner at Landcross, while high above the to find their breakfast on the shallows The pheasants and partridges are clucking s with the voice of birds, but the lark, who has been singing since ht of the dark,” suddenly hushes his carol and drops headlong as froh-poised above the heavenward songster The air is full of perfurant breath of kine, the dainty scent of sea-reaths and fresh wet sand Glorious day, glorious place, ”bridal of earth and sky,” decked ith bridal garlands, bridal perfuures there by the river brink, a dark spot on the fair face of the summer morn?
Yet one is as cheerful as if he too, like all nature round hi; and that is Will Cary He has been bathing down below, to cool his brain and steady his hand; and he intends to stop Don Guz for ever and a day The Spaniard is in a very differentup and down the sand He intends to kill Will Cary; but then? Will he be the nearer to Rose by doing so? Can he stay in Bideford? Will she go with hiher's daughter? It is a confused, all but desperate business; and Don Guz, that he is madly in love with this fair witch, and that if she refuse him, then, rather than see her accept another man, he would kill her with his own hands
Sir Richard Grenville too is in no very pleasant huin whispering over their arrangements
”We cannot have either of them killed, Arthur”
”Mr Cary swears he will kill the Spaniard, sir”
”He sha'n't The Spaniard is h, and for his ransoiven up safe and sound? They won't pay for a dead carcass, boy! The man's life is worth two hundred pounds”
”A very bad bargain,, sir, for those who pay the said two hundred for the rascal; but what if he kills Cary?”
”Worse still Cary ood a lad to be lost; and his father would never forgive us We must strike up their swords at the first scratch”
”It will ht us then, if they don't like our counsel It must be, Arthur”
”Be sure, sir,” said Arthur, ”that whatsoever you shall coreat an honor to a young man as I am to find myself in the sae of your wisdoentlemen! are you ready?”
The Spaniard pulls out a little crucifix, and kisses it devoutly, s on his breast; crosses hily, senor”
Cary kisses no crucifix, but says a prayer nevertheless
Cloaks and doublets are tossed off, the men placed, the rapiers er place the each other, the points of their draords on the sand Cary and the Spaniard stand for a ht before the rapier horizontally, the left hand clutching the dagger close to their breasts So they stand eye to eye, with clenched teeth and pale crushed lips, whileof his own heart; Sir Richard is praying inwardly that no life may be lost Suddenly there is a quick turn of Cary's wrist and a leap forward The Spaniard's dagger flashes, and the rapier is turned aside; Cary springs six feet back as the Spaniard rushes on him in turn Parry, thrust, parry--the steel rattles, the sparks fly, the un in earnest
Five minutes have the two had instant death a short six inches off from those wild sinful hearts of theirs, and not a scratch has been given Yes! the Spaniard's rapier passes under Cary's left arm; he bleeds
”A hit! a hit! Strike up, Atty!” and the swords are struck up instantly
Cary, nettled by the smart, tries to close with his foe, but the seconds cross their swords before hientlemen Don Guze, senor,” says the Spaniard, with a frown ”This duel is a l'outrance, on my part; and, I believe, on Mr Cary's also”