Chapter 13

Chapter XIII:
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