“And what of the duel?” I concluded eagerly.
“All is right, so far, I’m glad to say. Of course, the Duke couldn’t appear to back out in the least; and his men represented him as full of fight. We had a bit of a tussle over the conditions, but I wouldn’t give way. They wanted me to fix the time and place at once; but I told them pretty plainly that to do that might be doing no more than giving an excellent appointment for making the arrest that had just failed, and, in short, that it was impossible. In the end they had no option but to agree, and we are to meet at a little village about five miles north of here at nine o’clock, and then settle the ground. What I propose is that you should ride on about a couple of miles further—I know a splendid place for a meeting there; your man will probably know the ground; and if I find no treachery in the wind I’ll bring them on. If there is anything wrong, I’ll fix another spot, and let you know somehow. But I think it’ll be all right. The men acting for him are perfectly straight.”
“Yes,” I assented readily. “It’s an excellent plan.”
“But what about afterwards? If you kill him, there will be the deuce to pay; and I should think you will have to fly the country for a while at least.”
“No, I shall go back to Sofia and face it out. Men have been killed in duels before. The fight was forced upon me, and everything’s in perfect order. Why should I run away?”
“Russian dukes are not often killed in duels, especially when so essential to Russian schemes,” he answered drily.
“I shall take my chance of the consequences. We’re not so feeble that they can do what they like to me. I shall face it out.”
“How would it be to stop short of killing him?”
“My dear Zoiloff, if you had had said to you what was said to me, you would view the thing as I do,” I said sternly, and he made no reply.
I called in my man then, and Zoiloff gave him precise instructions which way we were to ride, and where to wait; and soon afterwards he started to meet the duke and his seconds. I mounted within a few minutes of his departure, and as I rode at an easy pace I was very thoughtful, though exultant at the prospect of the encounter.