"My lord, it is four leagues away."

"A respectable man ought to have his head in the game, and not at a
distance of four leagues."

With these words the prince threw down his cards and began to walk up and
down the room. I was rather startled, but I got up and stood by the fire,
waiting for the king. But after I had waited thus for half an hour a
chamberlain came from the palace, and announced that his majesty could
not do himself the honour of supping with my lord that night.

This was a blow for me, but I concealed my disappointment. Supper was
served, and I sat down as usual at the left hand of the palatin, who was
annoyed with me, and chewed it. We were eighteen at table, and for once I
had no appetite. About the middle of the supper Prince Gaspard Lubomirski
came in, and chanced to sit down opposite me. As soon as he saw me he
condoled with me in a loud voice for what had happened.

"I am sorry for you," said he, "but Branicki was drunk, and you really
shouldn't count what he said as an insult."

"What has happened?" became at once the general question. I held my
tongue, and when they asked Lubomirski he replied that as I kept silence
it was his duty to do the same.

Thereupon the palatin, speaking in his friendliest manner, said to me,--

"What has taken place between you and Branicki?"

"I will tell you the whole story, my lord, in private after supper."

The conversation became indifferent, and after the meal was over the
palatin took up his stand by the small door by which he was accustomed to
leave the room, and there I told him the whole story. He sighed, condoled
with me, and added,--

"You had good reasons for being absent-minded at cards."

"May I presume to ask your excellency's advice?"

"I never give advice in these affairs, in which you must do every-thing
or nothing."

The palatin shook me by the hand, and I went home and slept for six
hours. As soon as I awoke I sat up in bed, and my first thought was
everything or nothing. I soon rejected the latter alternative, and I saw
that I must demand a duel to the death. If Branicki refused to fight I
should be compelled to kill him, even if I were to lose my head for it.

Such was my determination; to write to him proposing a duel at four
leagues from Warsaw, this being the limit of the starostia, in which
duelling was forbidden on pain of death. I Wrote as follows, for I have
kept the rough draft of the letter to this day:

"WARSAW,