compelling power of authority, the softening influence of the
kindness affected deeply a man just risen from a bed of sickness.
Lieutenant D'Hubert's hand, which grasped the knob of a stick, trembled
slightly. But his northern temperament, sentimental but cautious and
clear-sighted, too, in its idealistic way, predominated over his impulse
to make a clean breast of the whole deadly absurdity. According to the
precept of transcendental wisdom, he turned his tongue seven times in
his mouth before he spoke. He made then only a speech of thanks, nothing
more. The colonel listened interested at first, then looked mystified.
At last he frowned.

"You hesitate--_mille tonerres!_ Haven't I told you that I will
condescend to argue with you--as a friend?"

"Yes, colonel," answered Lieutenant D'Hubert softly, "but I am afraid
that after you have heard me out as a friend, you will take action as my
superior officer."

The attentive colonel snapped his jaws.

"Well, what of that?" he said frankly. "Is it so damnably disgraceful?"

"It is not," negatived Lieutenant D'Hubert in a faint but resolute
voice.

"Of course I shall act for the good of the service--nothing can prevent
me doing that. What do you think I want to be told for?"

"I know it is not from idle curiosity," tested Lieutenant D'Hubert. "I
know you will act wisely. But what about the good fame of the regiment?"

"It cannot be affected by any youthful folly of a lieutenant," the
colonel said severely.

"No, it cannot be; but it can be by evil tongues. It will be said that
a lieutenant of the Fourth Hussars, afraid of meeting his adversary, is
hiding behind his colonel. And that would be worse than hiding behind
a haystack--for the good of the service. I cannot afford to do that,
colonel."

"Nobody would dare to say anything of the kind," the colonel, beginning
very fiercely, ended on an uncertain note. The bravery of Lieutenant
D'Hubert was well known; but the colonel was well aware that the
duelling courage, the single combat courage, is, rightly or wrongly,
supposed to be courage of a special sort; and it was eminently
necessary that an officer of his regiment should possess every kind
of courage--and prove it, too. The colonel stuck out his lower lip and
looked far away with a peculiar glazed stare. This was the expression of
his perplexity, an expression practically unknown to his regiment, for
perplexity is a sentiment which is incompatible with the rank