s a pathetic expression of disappointment. On De
Coude's a rapidly growing expression of horror--yes, of terror.

He could endure it no longer.

"Mother of God! Monsieur--shoot!" he screamed.

But Tarzan did not raise his pistol. Instead, he advanced toward De
Coude, and when D'Arnot and Monsieur Flaubert, misinterpreting his
intention, would have rushed between them, he raised his left hand in a
sign of remonstrance.

"Do not fear," he said to them, "I shall not harm him."

It was most unusual, but they halted. Tarzan advanced until he was
quite close to De Coude.

"There must have been something wrong with monsieur's pistol," he said.
"Or monsieur is unstrung. Take mine, monsieur, and try again," and
Tarzan offered his pistol, butt foremost, to the astonished De Coude.

"MON DIEU, monsieur!" cried the latter. "Are you mad?"

"No, my friend," replied the ape-man; "but I deserve to die. It is the
only way in which I may atone for the wrong I have done a very good
woman. Take my pistol and do as I bid."

"It would be murder," replied De Coude. "But what wrong did you do my
wife? She swore to me that--"

"I do not mean that," said Tarzan quickly. "You saw all the wrong that
passed between us. But that was enough to cast a shadow upon her name,
and to ruin the happiness of a man against whom I had no enmity. The
fault was all mine, and so I hoped to die for it this morning. I am
disappointed that monsieur is not so wonderful a marksman as I had been
led to believe."

"You say that the fault was all yours?" asked De Coude eagerly.

"All mine, monsieur. Your wife is a very pure woman. She loves only
you. The fault that you saw was all mine. The thing that brought me
there was no fault of either the Countess de Coude or myself. Here is
a paper which will quite positively demonstrate that," and Tarzan drew
from his pocket the statement Rokoff had written and signed.

De Coude took it and read. D'Arnot and Monsieur Flaubert had drawn
near. They were interested spectators of this strange ending of a
strange duel. None spoke until De Coude had quite finished, then he
looked up at Tarzan.

"You are a very brave and chivalrous gentleman," he said. "I thank God
that I did not kill you."

De Coude was a Frenchman. Frenchmen are impulsive. He threw his arms
about Tarzan and embraced him. Monsieur Flaubert embraced D'Arnot.
There was no one to embrace the doctor. So possibly it was pique whi