econds went to
fetch their respective principals to the spot, Adiron and Adolf
exchanged a word or two as they waited.

'The Englishman took it very well,' remarked Adiron.

'Devilish well,' lisped little Adolf; 'he made rather a favour, of it
just to satisfy Unziar, you know! He's too sure of himself, this
Rallywood. If he kills Unziar, which is unlikely, I shall have to finish
the affair myself!' with a frowning importance that sent Adiron into one
of his ready roars of laughter.

The Cloister was still echoing with the sound when Rallywood,
accompanied by Jenard, arrived from the other side of the palace, where
the state rooms were situated. On the way Jenard explained to Rallywood
that the procedure decided upon as being best suited to the requirements
of the case was simply alternate shots at twenty paces.

Rallywood and Unziar being placed, one of the men sent a coin spinning
up into the air. Then followed a long minute of silence.

St. Anthony's Cloister looks inward towards a quadrangle; the outer side
bordering the river has been glazed in, but in the interval of waiting
Rallywood could hear the water plashing and sobbing against the
foundations of the old walls, and the wild sound of the _tsa_, sweeping
down from the snowy frontier above Kofn Ford, as it wailed and howled
drearily along the dark waters. He almost started when Adiron,
approaching him, said:

'You have won the first shot, Captain Rallywood.'

'Then I am afraid I must beg of you to do me the great favour of
rearranging the affair,' replied Rallywood; 'for if I should be
unfortunate enough to kill Lieutenant Unziar, or even to disable him,
the question at issue between us must remain undecided for at the best
an indefinite time, and possibly for ever. If you recollect, the matter
over which he was pleased to differ with me was my expressed opinion
that though a good shot may bring down swallows to perfection, he might
miss a man at a moderate distance.'

'You have won the toss,' remonstrated Adiron.

'Yes, unluckily. But I feel sure that Lieutenant Unziar will be kind
enough not to hold me to that, since it is evident that the first shot
should be his.'

Adiron grinned. It was his way of showing many mixed emotions.

'I like your way of conducting a dispute, Captain Rallywood,' he said;
'but as your second I must warn you that it is the worst luck in the
world to refuse luck. You have won the toss. In declining to profit by
it you ar