It seemed to me that they were exchanging a few words, and almost at once I saw Monsieur George's whip lashing several times, and with a sort of fury, Monsieur de Mauterne's face.

We barely arrived in time, Monsieur de Breuilly and myself, to prevent that scene from assuming an odious character of brutality.
A meeting having unfortunately become inevitable between the parties, we took with us the two friends who accompanied Mauterne, Messieurs de Quiroy and Astley, the latter an Englishman.

Monsieur George had preceded us to the chateau.

The choice of weapons belonged without any possible doubt to our adversary.

Nevertheless, having noticed that his seconds seemed to hesitate with a sort of indifference, or perhaps of circumspection between swords and pistols, I thought that we might, with a little good management, influence their decisions in the direction least unfavorable to us.