40+ Adventure Novels & Lost World Mysteries in One Premium Edition. Henry Rider Haggard

the latter laugh.

      Ernest felt the blood rise to his cheeks; there was something very insolent about his cousin's tone.

      Shortly afterwards the dinner came to an end, and madame with another fascinating smile, retired. As for Ernest, he smoked a pipe with Mr. Alston, and about nine o'clock strolled over with him to the Hall, or Assembly Rooms, a building largely composed of glass, where thrice a week, during the season, the visitors at St. Peter's Port adjoined to dance, flirt, and make merry.

      One of the first sights that caught his eye was a fair creature in evening dress, and with conspicuously white shoulders, in whom he recognised madame. She was sitting near the door, and appeared to be watching it. Ernest bowed to her, and was about to pass on; but, pursuing her former tactics, she dropped the bouquet she was carrying. He stooped, picked it up, returned it, and again made as though he would pass on, when she addressed him, just as the band struck up.

      "Ah, que c'est belle, la musique! Monsieur valse, n'est-ce pas?"

      In another minute they were floating down the room together. As they passed along, Ernest saw his cousin standing in the corner, looking at him with no amiable air. Madame saw his glance.

      "Ah," she said, "Monsieur Hugh ne valse pas, il se grise; il a l'air jaloux, n'est-ce pas?"

      Ernest danced three times with this fair enslaver, and with their last waltz the ball came to an end. Just then his cousin came up, and they all, including Mr. Alston, walked together along the steep streets, which were now quite deserted, to the door of the hotel. Here Ernest said good-night to madame, who extended her hand. He took it, and as he did so he felt a note slipped into it, which, not being accustomed to such transactions, he clumsily dropped. It was the ball programme, and there was something written across it in pencil. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who saw this; his cousin, Hugh, who had evidently been drinking, saw it too, and tried to pick up the programme, but Ernest was too quick for him.

      "Give me that," said his cousin, hoarsely.

      Ernest answered by putting it into his pocket.

      "What is written on that programme?"

      "I don't know."

      "What have you written on that programme, Camille?"

      "Mon Dieu, mais vous m'ennuyez!" was the answer.

      "I insist upon your giving me that!" with an oath.

      "Monsieur est '/gentleman/.' Monsieur ne la rendra pas," said madame, with a meaning glance; and then turning, she entered the hotel.

      "I am not going to give it to you," said Ernest.

      "You shall give it to me."

      "Is this lady your wife?" asked Ernest.

      "That is my affair; give me that note."

      "I shall not give it to you," said Ernest, whose temper was rapidly rising. "I don't know what is on it, and I don't wish to know; but whatever it is, the lady gave it to me, and not to you. She is not your wife, and you have no right to ask for it."

      His cousin Hugh turned livid with fury. At the best of times he was an evil-tempered man; and now, inflamed as he was by drink and jealousy, he looked a perfect fiend.

      "Damn you!" he hissed, "you half-bred cur; I suppose that you get your----manners from your----of a mother!"

      He did not get any further; for at this point Ernest knocked him into the gutter, and then stood over him, very quiet and pale, and told him that if ever he dared to let a disrespectful word about his mother pass his lips again, he (Ernest) would half-kill him (Hugh). Then he let him get up.

      Hugh Kershaw rose, and turning, whispered something to his friend, who had sat next him at dinner, a man about thirty years of age, and with a military air about him. His friend listened and pulled his large moustache thoughtfully. Then he addressed Ernest with the utmost politeness:

      "I am Captain Justice, of the ---- Hussars. Of course, Mr. Kershaw, you are aware that you cannot indulge yourself in the luxury of knocking people down without hearing more about it. Have you any friend with you?"

      Ernest shook his head as he answered: "This," indicating Mr. Alston, who had been an attentive observer of everything that had passed, "is the only gentleman I know in the town, and I cannot ask him to mix himself up in my quarrels." Ernest was beginning to understand that this quarrel was a very serious business.

      "All right, my lad," said Mr. Alston quietly, "I will stand by you."

      "Really, I have no right----" began Ernest.

      "Nonsense! It is one of our colonial customs to stick by one another."

      "Mr. Justice----"

      "Captain Justice," put in that gentleman, with a bow.

      "Captain Justice, my name is Alston. I am very much at your service."

      Captain Justice turned to Hugh Kershaw, whose clothes were dripping from the water in the gutter, and after whispering with him for a moment, said aloud, "If I were you, Kershaw, I should go and change those clothes; you will catch cold." And then, addressing Mr. Alston, "I think the smoking-room is empty. Shall we go and have a chat?"

      Mr. Alston assented, and they went in together. Ernest followed; but having lit his pipe, sat down in a far corner of the room. Presently, Mr. Alston called him.

      "Look here, Kershaw, this is a serious business, and as you are principally concerned, I think you had better give your own answer. To be brief, your cousin, Mr. Hugh Kershaw, demands that you should apologise in writing for having struck him."

      "I am willing to do that if he will apologise for the terms he used in connection with my mother."

      "Ah!" said the gallant Captain, "the young gentleman is coming to reason."

      "He also demands that you should hand over the note you received from the lady."

      "That I certainly shall not do," he answered; and drawing the card from his pocket, he tore it into fragments unread.

      Captain Justice bowed and left the room. In a few minutes he returned, and, addressing Mr. Alston and Ernest, said:

      "Mr. Kershaw is not satisfied with what you offer to do. He declines to apologise for any expression that he may have used with reference to your mother, and he now wishes you to choose between signing an apology, which I shall dictate, or meeting him to-morrow morning. You must remember that we are in Guernsey, where you cannot insult a man on the payment of forty shillings."

      Of course, this view was an entirely incorrect one. Although Guernsey has a political constitution of its own, many of its laws being based upon the old Norman-French customs, and judicial proceedings being carried on in French, &c., it is quite as criminal an act to fight a duel there as in England, as Captain Justice himself afterwards found out to his cost. But they none of them knew that.

      Ernest felt the blood run to his heart. He understood now what Captain Justice meant. He answered simply:

      "I shall be very happy to meet my cousin in whatever place and way you and Mr. Alston may agree upon;" and then he returned to his chair, and gave himself up to the enjoyment of his pipe and an entirely new set of sensations.

      Captain Justice gazed after him pityingly. "I am sorry for him," he said to Mr. Alston. "Kershaw is, I believe, a good shot with pistols. I suppose you will choose pistols. It would be difficult to get swords in such a hurry. He is a fine young fellow. Took it coolly, by George! Well, I don't think that he will trouble the world much longer."

      "This is a silly business, and likely to land us all in a nasty mess. Is there no way out of it?"

      "None that I know of, unless your young friend will eat dirt. He is a nasty-tempered fellow, Kershaw, and wild about that woman, over whom he has spent thousands. Nor is he likely to forgive being rolled in the gutter. You had better get your man to give in, for if you don't, Kershaw will kill him."

      "It is no good talking of it. I have lived a rough life, and know