The next day after dinner we all reassembled in the smoking-room.
"Well," said my host, "your audience you see is complete, our cigars
are alight, and we are ready to give you our best attention."
"Of course," I replied, "you will understand that I have no intention
of inflicting upon you a course of instruction. As far as that goes,
the books, especially the two that have appeared most recently, by
Professors Gomard and Grisier, have said all that is worth saying, and
in my judgment perhaps a great deal more. They give too much good
advice, too many excellent rules, too many excellent maxims, too many
thrusts, feints, parries, ripostes, counter-ripostes, and so forth.
"I am very far from holding with the received doctrine of the necessity
or the importance of a great variety of play. I believe that the
effectiveness of a skilful fencer depends on the correctness of his
inferences, on the alertness and nicety of his judgment, on quickness
of hand and precision of movement, whether in attack, parry, or
riposte, rather than on a very varied play, which necessitates a much
more elaborate training, and so far from being of any real use serves
only to perplex the mind.
"The alphabet of fencing, if you will allow the expression, is as fixed
and immutable as any other alphabet. Its characters are ascertained and
definite motions, which are combined in accordance with the structure
and balance of our organism, the natural action of the muscles, and
the flexibility possible to the limbs and body. I do not set up for
a schoolmaster, and shall not attempt to teach you this alphabet. I
assume that you are already acquainted with it. All that I shall do,
or at all events try to do, is to discuss the theoretical principles,
for apart from them the material factors are only so much dull and
senseless machinery.
"I shall try to keep within bounds, and to advance a few simple
arguments, to convince you that swordsmanship is neither so slow nor so
perplexing as you are inclined to suppose. Above all, I hope you will
not allow me to forget that this is a conversation. Remember that you
are at liberty to make any remarks that occur to you. That is part of
the bargain."
Several of my friends assured me that I need have no anxiety; they did
not mean to let me off too easily.