In the evening and the morning, small objects cast long shadows; but
in the mid-day, the meridian sun makes all bright. Not so exactly,
however, is it with the day of life, as any man must have felt who has
been called upon to repeat, at two distant times in his existence, the
same unpleasant act. Take fighting a duel for an instance: with what
different feelings the same man sets about the deed, at two or
three-and-twenty, and five or six-and-thirty. How the gay buoyancy of
youth carries us over the light ruffle of the sea at one period! how
little do we heed the menacing storm! how little do we care for the
momentary tempest! how confident are we of safety and success! But, at
the other period, however strong may be our resolution, however firm our
purpose, however, unshaken our nerve, we go to the task set before us
with a knowledge of every particle of the peril, with a clear notion
of all the consequences, with a calculation of each point of the
result. The grasp of a friend's hand comes with a consciousness that
it may be for the last time; the look we give to those we love has in
it the tenderness of a farewell, and at the same time, all the mighty
responsibility of taking the life of another is pressed upon
reflection by every sight of human existence around us, by all the
fresh joys and hopes that we see in the bosoms of our own fellow-men.
Morley Ernstein, however, was in the early day of life; fear was a
thing unknown to him, and even with awe he was not very familiar.
Thus, when Lieberg's cabriolet came to the door in Berkeley-square, he
sprang in with a light step; and, with as cheerful a voice as if he
had been going to a wedding, he gave his friend the "Good morning,"
and asked if he were not a little late.
"Oh, no!" answered Lieberg; "in very good time, and my chesnut here
will carry us up as if he were running for the Derby."
Away they rolled at a rate which had something exhilarating in its
rapidity. London was soon left behind; its lengthy suburbs were
speedily crossed, and the singing of a lark in the early morning, told
that the horse's hoofs were treading the country. The spot appointed
was soon reached, the boy handed out the pistol case, and took the
horse, and Morley and his friend walked forward into the field, where
no one as yet had made his appearance. It was a beautiful summer
morning as ever was seen; the country, even in the neighbourhood of
London, looked lovely in the early light, and the world altogether
seemed too pleasant a place to quit willingly. But Morley Ernstein,
though his was the especial time of life when joys are fullest and
hopes brightest, and all the things that endear to us mortal existence
are in their most attractive aspect, never thought about quitting the
world at all. He found it difficult to impress upon his mind the idea
of danger; and though a momentary sensation of awe had come over him
during the preceding night, all such feeling had gone off, and he
looked about for his adversary, in the mere desire of getting a
disagreeable business over as soon as possible.
"I would bet five to three that he does not come," said Lieberg; "and
really I think that if he do not, I shall go and horsewhip him myself,
for making me get out of my bed at half-past four."
Scarcely had he spoken, however, when the roll of wheels was heard,
and a very handsome travelling chaise, with four post-horses,
appeared, and drew up at the gate leading into the field. The door
was opened, and forth came Mr. Neville, with his friend, Captain
Stallfed, whom Morley had seen once before, and a gentleman in black,
possessing extensive whiskers, not very well combed, long French-cut
hair, and a surgical appearance about the nose and eyes, which at once
bespoke his profession.
"Upon my word," said Lieberg, "this looks like execution! Now, Morley,
what will you bet that all this is not part of a solemn farce, to
squeeze an apology out of you?"
"It will not succeed," answered Morley, and he walked on with Lieberg,
to meet the advancing party.
As they came near, the two seconds took a step forward, and Captain
Stallfed, as Lieberg had anticipated, began, after the ordinary
salutations, to work his way up to the demand of an apology.
"My friend, Mr. Neville," he said, "has certainly been grossly
insulted by your friend, Sir Morley Ernstein. However, as Neville is
peculiarly situated in some respects, Colonel Lieberg, I have advised
him to content himself with an apology." He paused for a moment, as if
to see whether Lieberg would reply; but that gentleman was as silent
as the grave; and Captain Stallfed went on, with a slight degree of
embarrassment. "A-hem!" he said; "if, therefore, your friend thinks
fit to say that he is sorry for having used the threat of
horsewhipping my friend Neville, I have advised him to drop the
matter, and rest satisfied."
"I think you are labouring under a mistake, Captain Stallfed," said
Lieberg; "my friend Sir Morley Ernstein would have the greatest
pleasure in saying that he is sorry for having threatened to horsewhip
your friend Mr. Neville, if he were at all sorry; but, as he fully did
intend to horsewhip him, in case Mr. Neville did not find a gentleman
of honour and repute, such as Captain Stallfed, to bring the matter to
another issue for him, you will easily perceive that my friend can
offer no apology whatsoever."
Stallfed looked a little disconcerted, and merely saying--"Very well,
sir--very well!" retired to confer with Neville again, whose eyes,
during the brief conversation between his friend and Lieberg, had been
round the field, and up the road, and over the hill, with a very
anxious and expectant expression. Lieberg marked all this with a
smile, saying to Morley--"He is like a cowardly felon at the
gallows-foot, asking to be allowed time for another prayer; but we
must interrupt his shrift, otherwise I should not wonder if we were
interrupted in our proceedings. Captain Stallfed," he said, advancing
again a step or two, "we wait your pleasure, and, as it seems to me
that your friend is very apprehensive lest we should be annoyed by the
Bow-street officers, we had better proceed as fast as possible."
Captain Stallfed bowed, frowned at Neville, and saying, not too low
for the other party to hear--"Nonsense--nonsense, man!--the thing
must be;" he came forward to make the necessary preparations with
Lieberg.
The spot was chosen, the ground measured, and each second threw down a
glove, for his friend's standing place, Lieberg calmly overruling a
man[oe]uvre of Stallfed's, to place Morley in a line with a tree. In
the meanwhile, the young Baronet walked up and down, with his arms
folded on his chest, thinking the preparations somewhat long, while
Neville, with the surgeon at his elbow, stood at some distance,
listening to such consolations as the man of healing could give him,
and evidently under the influence of no very dignified trepidation.
Morley, who, from time to time, cast a glance that way, could not help
smiling at the bend of the knees, the rounding of the shoulders, and
the wandering eagerness of the eye. He thought every moment, indeed,
that his gallant antagonist would take to his heels and run, and
probably it was only the proximity of the surgeon that prevented such
a consummation. Everything being at length complete, however, Lieberg
placed his man, saying--"Now, don't miss him, Morley."
"I don't intend to fire at him," replied Morley.
Lieberg looked at him with astonishment, but there was no time for
further explanation, and merely saying--"You are joking, surely," he
withdrew.
In the meanwhile, Neville, in dead silence had been brought to his
ground, and Stallfed gave him some directions in a low voice. "Is the
handkerchief tight round your arm?" he asked--"well, raise your pistol
smartly, keep him on the outside of your elbow, and you are sure to
hit him. Can't you steady your hand, man? That d--d shaking will ruin
you!"
Neville answered not a word, and it is probable that at that moment he
neither saw, heard, nor understood. The two seconds, however, retired;
and, as it had been arranged that the parties were to fire together,
the "one, two, three" was pronounced, and both pistols went off very
nearly at the same moment. Neville's, indeed, was a little the first,
as he had been instructed by his friend, to fire even before the word
"three" was pronounced. To the surprise of all parties present, not
only did Morley fire directly in the air, but Neville, notwithstanding
his terror, his confusion, and his shaking hand, sent his ball with so
true an aim, that it passed through Morley's coat, and slightly
wounded him, by grazing his right shoulder. Unconscious of his
success, however, he fell to the ground at once, as soon as he heard
the report of his adversary's pistol; but upon Stallfed and the
surgeon coming up, both of whom had clearly seen, that Morley had
fired in the air, the swindler got upon his feet again, declaring that
he had stumbled over a stone.
"Stumbled!" exclaimed Stallfed, in an angry tone; "why what the devil
business had you to move at all? I suppose, Colonel Lieberg, as your
friend fired in the air, we cannot demand another fire!"
Ere Lieberg could reply, the party in the field was increased by three
or four other persons, at the head of whom appeared R----, the
Bow-street officer, coming up, as was then usually the case, in
encounters of such a kind, somewhat slowly and tardily, to prevent a
duel, which had already taken place.
"These, I presume," said Lieberg, as he marked the approach of the new
comers; "these, I presume, are the gentlemen whom your friend
expected, and of course we shall have the pleasure of figuring at
Bow-street, while you have the satisfaction of seeing the whole in a
newspaper."
By the time this was said, the officers were up with them, and gave
them intimation that they must present themselves before a magistrate.
To Lieberg and Morley, R---- and his companions were perfectly civil
and deferential; but with Neville and Captain Stallfed--ay, and with
the surgeon those gentlemen had brought thither, the officers were
quite friendly and familiar. Promising to appear at Bow-street as soon
as the magistrates took their seat in the office, Lieberg and Morley
got into the cabriolet, and drove away, Morley tying a handkerchief
round his arm to stanch the blood, which was now trickling through his
coat. The officers remained with the res-t of the party, and R--- with
his hands in his breeches pockets, gazed over the chariot and four
horses with a cunning smile.
"Why Nevvy," he said, "this is a flare-up, and will cost you a
trifle--I take it!"
"I'll tell you what, R----," said the Captain, "it ought to be worth
five hundred pounds to him, if he manages the matter well. Why, having
fought a duel with Sir Morley Ernstein, and wounded him in the arm, is
enough to make a man of him."
"Hard to do that," said R----, with a knowing look; "why, Nevvy, how
did you ever screw yourself up to come to the scratch?--cost you a
pint of thunder and lightning, I'll bet. But come, we must be jogging;
as the chay is full, I'll get up behind. We wont put the darbies on
you, this time, Nevvy; though, if you don't mind what you're about,
it'll come to that, I give you warning. I had some talk about you, the
other day, with the old gentleman in the wig, and he said, it wouldn't
do much longer; so keep quiet, there's a good fellow."
The first case called on before the magistrates that morning, was that
of the duel; the tidings of which had spread far and wide through
London, before ten o'clock, and the office was consequently full of
reporters. The matter was soon settled, in the usual manner; but the
magistrate in a grave, but kindly, tone, thought fit to address to
Morley a few words of remonstrance, upon the practice of duelling in
general, adding a caution, in regard of the choice of associates,
while his eye rested with stern severity upon Neville and his worthy
second.
"I thank you much, sir," said Morley, with his usual firm and manly
manner, "for the warning that you give me; but, you will understand
that these persons are not my associates, and not even my
acquaintances. I chanced to meet one of them in the commission of acts
which I judged imprudent and wrong, and I threatened him with
chastisement. As he found a person bearing his Majesty's commission,
to act as his friend on the occasion, I thought fit to give him that
satisfaction which is usual amongst gentlemen; reserving to myself the
right, and holding firmly the determination, of chastising him as I
promised, should he give me further occasion for offence."
"I will beg of these gentlemen of the press, to remark," said Lieberg,
turning towards the reporters, "that my friend, Sir Morley Ernstein,
only consented to meet Mr. Neville, because he did not choose to
refuse any man satisfaction when it was demanded; but in order to
guard against a bad precedent being established in favour of Mr.
Neville, let me add, that I consider him a coward as well as a
blackguard, and only regret that my friend treated him with so much
lenity."
He was going to add more, but the magistrate interfered, and Lieberg.
left the place, accompanied by Morley, the former saying, with a
laugh--
"It was necessary, my dear Ernstein, to make some observation on the
business, which these gentlemen would not very much like repeated,
otherwise they would dress up so smart a story of it in the
newspapers, that Neville, for the rest of his life, would be treated
as a gentleman, and have the privilege of plundering all sorts of
young fools with impunity."
Notwithstanding all Lieberg's precautions, the report of the affair in
the newspapers, was such as newspaper reports but too frequently are.
There was so much truth in the statement as to give it perfect
verisimilitude, and to render it impossible to say that it was all a
lie, but with so much left untold as to create an impression as
erroneous as if the whole had been untrue. It appeared by the report,
that Sir Morley Ernstein had fought the well-known Mr. Neville, and
had been severely wounded in the arm; that the parties had been
brought to Bow-street, and bound over to keep the peace, some sharp
words passing between them in the office. The statement ended with the
words--"The quarrel, we find, took place about a lady!"