honour to meet me with a wound by which you must be greatly
inconvenienced.'

"Inconvenienced certainly, and you hurt me terribly, I must
acknowledge, when you ran against me just now; but I will use my
left hand, according to my custom in such circumstances. Do not
suppose on that account that I am sparing you; I fight decently
with both hands, and a left-handed swordsman is an awkward
antagonist when one is not prepared for him. I am sorry I did not
tell you of it sooner, that you might have got your hand in
accordingly.'

"'Truly, sir,' said D'Artagnan, with another bow, 'I know not how
to express my gratitude for such courtesy.'

"'You are too obliging to say so,' returned Athos, with his
princely air; 'let us talk of something else, if not disagreeable
to you. Ah, _sangbleu_! you hurt me terribly! My shoulder burns.'

"'If you would permit me,' said D'Artagnan, timidly.

"'What then, sir?'

"'I have a balm that is wonderfully efficacious in the cure of
wounds. I hold the recipe from my mother, and have myself
experienced its good effects.'

"'Well?'

"'Well, I am sure that in less than three days it would heal your
wound; and at the end of that time, sir, it would still be a
great honour for me to meet you.'

"D'Artagnan said these words with a simplicity that did credit to
his natural courtesy of feeling, at the same time that it could
not give rise to the slightest doubt of his courage.

"'_Pardieu_, sir!' said Athos, 'your proposition pleases me, not
that I can accept it, but because it is that of a chivalrous
gentleman. It is thus that spoke and acted those heroes of
Charlemagne's days, on whom every cavalier should strive to model
himself. Unfortunately we do not live in the times of the great
emperor, but in those of Cardinal Richelieu; and however well we
might keep our secret, it would be known before three days had
elapsed that we intended to fight, and our duel would be
prevented. _Ah ca_! where can those idlers be?'

"'If you are in haste, sir,' resumed D'Artagnan with the same
simplicity with which he had a moment before proposed to put off
the duel for three days--'if you are pressed for time, and that
it pleases you to finish with me at once, let me beg of you to do
so.'

"'Anoth