"No man ever struck a Marline without spilling his blood for the blow! It is a good thing for you, sah, that I am on crutches."
"If you were not crippled, you could not use the language you have within the past few moments, without getting my fist between the eyes."
Marline sucked in his breath with a hissing sound through his teeth.
"Never mind my condition, sah—hit me! Nothing would give me greater satisfaction, sah!"
"It is impossible. You will not be crippled long."
"I shall recover as swiftly as possible. You may be sure of that, sah!"
"There will be time enough to settle this little affair between us then."
"But the preliminaries can be arranged in advance, Mr. Merriwell. My representative will call on any friend you may name, sah."
It was plain enough to all that Marline intended to force a duel or compel Merriwell to back down squarely.
"If I decline to name a friend—if I decline to meet you in a regular duel——"