friend
Don Luis commissions me to ask your Excellency, for the name of a
friend, to whom the arrangements may be referred for ending a painful
controversy in the usual manner. If you will be so good as to oblige
me, I need not intrude upon you again."

"Do you mean to suggest, senor Marques," said Manvers, after a pause,
"that I am to meet Don Luis on the field?"

"Pardon?" said the Marques, in such a way as to answer the question.

"My dear sir," he was assured, "I would just as soon fight my
grandfather. The thing is preposterous." The Marques gasped for air,
but Manvers continued. "Had your friend's age been anywhere near my
own, I doubt if I could have gratified him after what took place the
other day. He caused a man of his to stab me in the back as I was
walking down a dark street. In my country we call that a dastard's
act."

The Marques started, and winced as if he was hurt; but he remembered
himself and the laws of warfare, and when he spoke it was within the
extremes of politeness.

"I confess, sir," he said, "that I was not prepared for your refusal.
It puts me in a delicate position, and to a certain extent I must
involve my friend also. It is my duty to declare to you that it is Don
Luis' intention to break the laws of Spain. An outrage has been
committed against his house and blood which one thing only can efface.
Moved by extreme courtesy, Don Luis was prepared to take the remedy of
gentlemen; but since you have refused him that, he is driven to the use
of natural law. It will be in your power--I cannot deny--to deprive
him of that also; but he is persuaded that you will not take advantage
of it. Should you show any signs of doing so, I am to say, Don Luis
will be forced to consider you outside the pale of civilisation, and to
treat you without any kind of toleration. To suggest such a
possibility is painful to me, and I beg your pardon very truly for it."

In truth the Marques looked ashamed of himself.

Manvers considered the very oblique oration to which he had listened.
"I hope I understand you, senor Marques," he said. "You intend to say
that Don Luis means to have my life by all means?"

The Marques bowed. "That is so, senor Don Osmundo."

"But you suggest that it is possible that I might stop him by informing
the authorities?"

"No, no," said the Marques hastily, "I did not suggest that. The
authorities would never interfere. The British Embassy might perhaps
be persuad