ng fellow," said he. "I am to act as your second; and
though, of course, I 'd like to know that the man I handled was a
gentleman, I do not ask you to tell anything about yourself that you
prefer to keep back. I would only say that, if ugly consequences come of
this stupid business, the blame must fall upon you. Your temper provoked
it, is that not true?"

I nodded assent, and he went on.

"So far, all right. The next point is this. We are all on honor that,
whatever happens, not a word or a syllable shall ever escape us. Do you
agree to this?"

"I agree," said I, calmly.

"Give me your hand on it."

I gave him my hand; and as he held it in his own, he said, "On the faith
of a gentleman, I will never reveal to my last day what shall pass here
this morning."

I repeated the words after him, and we moved on into the school.

*****

I had drawn my sofa in front of the fire, and, stretching myself on
it, fell into a deep dreamless sleep. A night's wakefulness, and the
excitement I had gone through, had so far worked upon me that I did not
hear the opening of my door, nor the tread of a heavy man as he came
forward and seated himself by the fire. It was only the cold touch of
hi" fingers on the wrist as he felt my pulse that at last aroused me.

"Don't start, don't flurry yourself," said he, calmly, to me. "I am the
doctor. I have been to see the other, and I promised to look in on you."

"How is he? Is it serious?"

"It will be a slow affair. It was an ugly thrust,--all the dorsal
muscles pierced, but no internal mischief done."

"He will certainly recover then?"

"There is no reason why he should not. But where is this scratch of
yours? Let me see it."

"It is a nothing, doctor,--a mere nothing. Pray take no trouble about
it."

"But I must I have pledged myself to examine your wound; and I must keep
my word."

"Surely these gentlemen are scarcely so very anxious about me," said I,
in some pique. "Not one of them vouchsafed to see me safe home, though I
had lost some blood, and felt very faint!"

"I did not say it was these gentlemen sent me here," said he, dryly.

"Then who else knew anything about this business?"

"If you must know, then," said he, "it is the English Countess who is
staying here, and whom I have been attending for the last week. How she
came to hear of this affair I cannot tell you, for I know it is a secret
to the rest of the house; but she made me promise to come and see you,
a