ss the room; and
when at last he found the door and got down stairs, the first person
he happened to meet being a little kitchen-maid, he addressed her as
"My lady aunt!" and begged her to get him a glass of water, for he was
_very cold_!

There was only one other person in a greater perplexity than himself,
and this was the bridegroom. When Julia led him towards the clergyman,
he stared as if he had heard sentence of death passed upon him. The
affair had been already made up between the elders, who considered it
superfluous to mention the subject to Sandor beforehand, and Julia was
too secure in the power of her charms to doubt of their success in
this undertaking.

Sandor allowed himself to be led before the table arranged for the
ceremony, and when the clergyman asked him, "Do you love this
honourable lady whose hand you hold?" he only stared at the worthy
man, till his father cried out, "Well, do you love her? Of course you
love her--how should you not love her?" on which Sandor recovering his
senses, went through the rest of the marriage formula pretty well,
though it cannot be denied that his teeth chattered not a little.

After this all went on well. The _fetes_ which succeeded the ceremony
removed every constraint; and I must not omit, for the satisfaction of
our readers, that the happy bridegroom even danced after supper, and
thereby managed to trip up and tumble over several of the guests.

* * * * *

Early next morning three young men were walking in the gardens outside
the town. One was Karely, and the other two his comrades, who were to
act as seconds in his encounter with Kalman.

The latter had quitted Julia's house with a greater desire of fighting
than ever, and declared in several coffeehouses that he was determined
to shed either his own blood or that of another, and that he would not
be content with sending a ball through Karely's brain alone. In vain
his friends hinted that it was imprudent to publish his sanguinary
intentions beforehand, as he might be taken up. He cared not; they
might imprison him or take his life, but they should not touch his
honour!

Karely and his friends had waited full half an hour after the time
appointed. At last Kalman's seconds arrived--alone! and, with
countenances expressive of anger and disgust, handed a letter to their
opponents. Karely opened it impatiently, and read as follows:--

"GENTLEMEN,--Reflecting more coolly on this