On leaving Henri Mauperin's, M. de Villacourt had suddenly recollected
that he had no friends, no one at all whom he could ask to serve as
seconds. This had not occurred to him before. He remembered two or three
names which had been mixed up in his father's family history, and he
went along the streets trying to find the houses where he had been taken
when he had come to Paris in his boyhood. He rang at several doors, but
either the people were no longer living there or they were not at home
to him.
At night he returned to his lodging-house. He had never before felt so
absolutely alone in the world. When he was taking the key of his
bed-room, the landlady asked him if he would not have a glass of beer
and, opening a door in a passage, showed him into a café which took up
the ground-floor of the house.
Some swords were hanging from the hat-pegs, with cocked hats over them.
At the far end, through the tobacco smoke, he could see men dressed in
military uniform moving about round a billiard-table. A sickly looking
boy with a white apron on was running to and fro, scared and bewildered,
giving the _Army Monitor_ and the other papers a bath, each time that he
put a glass or cup on the table.
Near the counter, a drum-major was playing at backgammon with the
landlord of the café in his shirt-sleeves. On every side voices could be
heard calling out and answering each other, with the rolling accent
peculiar to soldiers.
"To-morrow I'm on duty at the theatre."
"I take my week."
"Gaberiau is beadle at Saint-Sulpice."
"He was proposed and was to be examined."
"Who's on service at the Bourdon ball?"
"What an idea! to blow his brains out when he hadn't a single punishment
down on his book!"
It was very evident that they were the Paris Guards from the barracks,
just near, waiting until nine o'clock for the roll-call.
"Waiter, a bowl of punch and three glasses," said M. de Villacourt,
taking his place at a table where two of the Guards were seated.
When the punch was brought he filled the three glasses, pushed one
before each of the Guards, and rose to his feet.
"Your health, gentlemen!" he said, and then lifting his glass he
continued: "You are military men--I have to fight to-morrow, and I
haven't any one I can ask. I feel sure that you will act as seconds for
me."
One of the Guards looked full at M. de Villacourt, and then turned to
his comrade.
"We may as well, Gaillourdot; what do you say?"
The other did not reply, but picking up his glass touched M. de
Villacourt's with it.
* * * * *
"Well then, to-morrow morning at ten o'clock. Room 27."
"Right!" answered the Guards.
* * * * *
The following morning, just as Denoisel was starting with Dardouillet to
call on M. Boisjorand de Villacourt, his door-bell rang and the two
Guards entered. As their mission was to accept everything, terms,
weapons, and distances, the arrangements for the duel were soon made.
Pistols were decided upon at a distance of thirty-five paces, both
adversaries to be allowed to walk ten paces. Denoisel requested, in
Henri's name, that the affair should be got over as quickly as possible.
This was precisely what M. de Villacourt's seconds were about to ask, as
they were supposed to be going to the theatre that evening, and were
only free that day until midnight. A meeting was fixed for four o'clock
at the Ville-d'Avray Lake. Denoisel next went to one of his friends who
was a surgeon, and then to order a carriage for bringing home the
wounded man. He called to see Henri, who was out; then went on to the
shooting-gallery, where he found him, amusing himself with shooting at
small bundles of matches hanging from a piece of string, at which he
fired, setting the brimstone alight with the bullet.
"Oh, that's nothing!" he said to Denoisel; "I fancy those matches get
set on fire with the wind from the bullet; but look here!" and he showed
him a cardboard target, in the first ring of which he had just put a
dozen bullets.
"It's to be to-day at four, as you wished," said Denoisel.
"Good!" said Henri, giving his pistol to the man. "Look here," he
continued, putting his fingers over two holes on the cardboard which
were rather far away from the others; "if it were not for these two
flukes this would be fit to frame. Oh, I'm glad it's arranged for
to-day." He lifted his arm with the gesture of a man accustomed to
shooting and just about to take aim, and then shook his hand about to
get the blood into it again.
"Only imagine," he continued, "that it had quite an effect on me--the
idea of this affair--when I was in bed this morning. It's that deuced
horizontal position; I don't fancy it's good for one's courage."
They all lunched together at Denoisel's and then proceeded to smoke.
Henri was cheerful and communicative, talking all the time. The surgeon
arrived at the hour appointed, and they all four got into the carriage
and drove off.
They had been silent until they were about half way, when Henri suddenly
threw his cigar out of the window impatiently.
"Give me a cigar, Denoisel, a good one. It's very important to have a
good cigar when you are going to shoot, you know. If you are to shoot
properly you mustn't be nervous; that's the principal thing. I took a
bath this morning. One must keep calm. Now, driving is the most
detestable thing; the reins saw your hand for you. I'd wager you
couldn't shoot straight after driving; your fingers would be stiff.
Novels are absurd with their duels, where the man arrives and flings his
reins to his groom. What should you think if I told you that one ought
to go in for a sort of training? It's quite true, though. I never knew
such a good shot as an Englishman I once met; he goes to bed at eight
o'clock; never drinks stimulants and takes a short walk every evening
like my father does. Every time that I have driven in a carriage without
springs to the shooting-gallery, my targets have shown it. By-the-bye,
this is a very decent carriage, Denoisel. Well, with a cigar it's the
same thing. Now a cigar that's difficult to smoke keeps you at work, you
have to keep lifting your hand to your mouth, and that makes your hand
unsteady; while a good cigar--you ask any good shot, and he'll tell you
the same thing--it's soothing, it puts your nerves in order. There's
nothing better than the gentle movement of the arm as you take the cigar
out of your mouth and put it in again. It's slow and regular."
* * * * *
On arriving, they found M. de Villacourt and his seconds waiting between
the two lakes. The ground was white with the snow that had fallen during
the morning. In the woods the trees stretched their bare branches
towards the sky, and in the distance the red sunset could be seen
between the rows of dark trees. They walked as far as the Montalet road.
The distances were measured, Denoisel's pistols loaded, and the
opponents then took their places opposite each other. Two
walking-sticks, laid on the snow, marked the limits of the ten paces
they were each allowed. Denoisel walked with Henri to the place which
had fallen to his lot, and as he was pushing down a corner of his collar
for him which covered his necktie, Henri said in a low voice: "Thanks,
old man; my heart's beating a trifle under my armpit, but you'll be
satisfied----"
M. de Villacourt took off his frock-coat, tore off his necktie, and
threw them both some distance from him. His shirt was open at the neck,
showing his strong, broad, hairy chest. The opponents were armed, and
the seconds moved back and stood together on one side.
"Ready!" cried a voice.
At this word M. de Villacourt moved forward almost in a straight line.
Henri kept quite still and allowed him to walk five paces. At the sixth
he fired.
M. de Villacourt fell to the ground, and the witnesses watched him lay
down his pistol and press his thumbs with all his strength on the double
hole which the bullet had made on entering his body.
"Ah! I'm not done for--Ready, monsieur!" he called out in a loud voice
to Henri, who, thinking all was over, was moving away.
M. de Villacourt picked up his pistol and proceeded to do his four
remaining paces as far as the walking-stick, dragging himself along on
his hands and knees and leaving a track of blood on the snow behind him.
On arriving at the stick he rested his elbow on the ground and took aim
slowly and steadily.
"Fire! Fire!" called out Dardouillet.
Henri, standing still and covering his face with his pistol, was
waiting. He was pale, and there was a proud, haughty look about him. The
shot was fired; he staggered a second, then fell flat, with his face on
the ground and with outstretched arms, his twitching fingers grasping
for a moment at the snow.