his unhappy affair. Ah, duelling, duelling! how wicked, childish,
illogical, despotic, bloody, and at the same time ludicrous it is!
Come, you have lost your key, you say--we cannot go to your lodgings:
let us find a room in the 'Raleigh,' and arrange this most unhappy
affair. Come."

And, followed by Hoffland, Mowbray took his way sadly toward the
"Raleigh."

CHAPTER XIV.

HOSTILE CORRESPONDENCE.

We regard it as a very fortunate circumstance that the manuscript
record of what followed, or did not follow, the events just related,
has been faithfully preserved. A simple transcription of the papers
will do away with the necessity of relating the particulars in detail;
and so we hasten to present the reader with the correspondence,
prefacing it with the observation that the affair kept the town or
city of Williamsburg in a state of great suspense for two whole days.

I.

"Mr. HOFFLAND:

"You insulted a lady in my presence yesterday evening, and I
demand from you a retraction of all that you uttered. I am
not skilled in writing, but you will understand me. The
friend who bears this will bring your answer.

I am your obed't serv't,

"J. DENIS."

II.

"Mr. DENIS:

"For you know you begin 'Mr. Hoffland!' as if you said,
'Stand and deliver!'--I have read your note, and I am sure I
shan't be able to write half as well. I am so young that,
unfortunately, I have never had an _affair_, which is a
great pity, for I would then know how to write beautiful
long sentences that no one could possibly fail to
understand.

"You demand a retraction, your note says. I don't like
'demand'--it's such an ugly word, you know; and if you
change the letters slightly, it makes a very bad, shocking
word, such as is used by profane young men. Then
'retraction' is so hard. For you know I said I was handsome:
must I take back that? Then I said that I could not marry
the lady we quarrelled about: must I say I can? I can't tell
a story, and I assure you on my honor--yes, Mr. Denis! on my
sacred word of honor as a gentleman!--that I cannot marry
Lucy!

"You see I can't take it back, and if you were to eat me up
I couldn't say I didn't say it.

"To think how angry you were!

"In haste,