The Combat.
De Wardes and De Guiche selected their horses, and saddled them with their
own hands, with holster saddles. De Guiche, having two pairs of pistols, went to
his apartments to get them; and after having loaded them, gave the choice to De
Wardes, who selected the pair he had made use of twenty times before - the
same, indeed, with which De Guiche had seen him kill swallows flying. "You will
not be surprised," he said, "if I take every precaution. You know the weapons
well, and, consequently, I am only making the chances equal."
"Your remark was quite useless," replied De Guiche, "and you have done no
more than you are entitled to do."
"Now," said De Wardes, "I beg you to have the goodness to help me to mount;
for I still experience a little difficulty in doing so."
"In that case, we had better settle the matter on foot."
"No; once in the saddle, I shall be all right."
"Very good, then; we will not speak of it again," said De Guiche, as he assisted
De Wardes to mount his horse.
"And now," continued the young man, "in our eagerness to murder one another,
we have neglected one circumstance."
"What is that?"
"That it is quite dark, and we shall almost be obliged to grope about, in order to
kill."
"Oh!" said De Guiche, "you are as anxious as I am that everything should be
done in proper order."
"Yes; but I do not wish people to say that you have assassinated me, any more
than, supposing I were to kill you, I should myself like to be accused of such a
crime."
"Did any one make a similar remark about your duel with the Duke of
Buckingham?" said De Guiche; "it took place precisely under the same
conditions as ours."
"Very true; but there was still light enough to see by; and we were up to our
middles almost, in the water; besides, there were a good number of spectators
on shore, looking at us."
De Guiche reflected for a moment; and the thought which had already presented
itself to him became more confirmed - that De Wardes wished to have witnesses
present, in order to bring back the conversation about Madame, and to give a
new turn to the combat. He avoided saying a word in reply, therefore; and, as De
Wardes once more looked at him interrogatively, he replied, by a movement of
the head, that it would be best to let things remain as they were. The two
adversaries consequently set off, and left the chateau by the same gate, close to
which we may remember to have seen Montalais and Malicorne together. The
night, as if to counteract the extreme heat of the day, had gathered the clouds
together in masses which were moving slowly along from the west to the east.
The vault above, without a clear spot anywhere visible, or without the faintest
