"Charles HOFFLAND."

III.

"Mr. HOFFLAND:

"Your note is not satisfactory at all. I did not quarrel
with your opinion of yourself, and you know it. I was not
foolish enough to be angry at your declaring that you were
engaged to some lady already. You spoke of a lady who is my
friend, and what you said was insulting.

"I say again that I am not satisfied.

"Your obed't serv't,

"J. DENIS."

IV.

"Mr. DENIS:

"Stop!--I didn't say I was engaged to any lady: no
misunderstanding.

"Yours always,

"Charles HOFFLAND."

V.

"Mr. HOFFLAND:

"I do not understand your note. You evade my request for an
explanation. I think, therefore, that the shortest way will
be to end the matter at once.

"The friend who brings you this will make all the
arrangements.

"I have the honor to be,

"J. DENIS."

VI.

"Oh, Mr. Denis, to shoot me in cold blood! Well, never mind!
Of course it's a challenge. But who in the world will be
_my_ 'friend'? Please advise me. You know Ernest ought not
to--decidedly. He likes you, and you seemed to like Miss
Lucy, who must be a very sweet girl as she is Ernest's
sister. Therefore, as I have no other friend but Ernest, I
should think we might arrange the whole affair without
troubling him. I have been talking with some people, and
they say I have 'the choice of weapons'--because you
challenged me, you know. I would rather fight with a sword,
I think, than be shot, but I think we had better have
pistols. I therefore suggest pistols, and I have been
reading all about fighting, and can lay down the rules.

"1. The pistols shall be held by the principals with the
muzzles down, not more than six inches from the right
toe--pointing that way, I mean.

"2. The word shall be 'Fire! One, Two, Three!' and if either
fire before 'one' or after 'three,' he shall be immediately
killed. For you know it would be murder, and ours is a
gentlemanly affair of honor.

"3. The survivor, if he is a bachelor, shall marry the wife
of the one who falls. You are a bachelor, I believe, and so
am I: thus this will not