"Our principal has wounded the Marquis four times at least, and he is none the worse." The Marquis put up his hand with a curious air of ghastly patience.
"Please let me speak," he said.

"It is rather important.

Mr.Syme," he continued, turning to his opponent, "we are fighting today, if I remember right, because you expressed a wish (which I thought irrational) to pull my nose.

Would you oblige me by pulling my nose now as quickly as possible?
I have to catch a train." "I protest that this is most irregular," said Dr.Bull indignantly.
"It is certainly somewhat opposed to precedent," said Colonel Ducroix, looking wistfully at his principal.

"There is, I think, one case on record (Captain Bellegarde and the Baron Zumpt) in which the weapons were changed in the middle of the encounter at the request of one of the combatants.