.

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.