“Your friend will then apologize?” resumed the Colonel.
“He shall,—he must.”
“Simply expressing his regret that an unguarded action should have occasioned a misconception, and that in lifting his arm he neither intended the gesture as a menace nor an insult. Is n't that your meaning?”
“Just so; and that if he had struck he would n't have hurt him.”
“Feu d'enfer! sir, what are you saying? or do you mean this for a mockery of us?” screamed the Colonel, in a fit of passion.
“You terrify me so,” cried Purvis; “You are so impeimpe-impetuous, I don't know what I 'm saying.”
The Frenchman measured him with a glance of strange meaning. It was evident that such a character was somewhat new to him, and it required all his skill and acuteness to comprehend it “Very well, sir,” said he, at last, “I leave the details entirely to yourself; speak to your friend, arrange the matter between you, and let us finish the affair as speedily as may be.”
“What is all this delay about?” muttered Norwood, angrily, as the other joined him; “is there any difficulty in stepping twelve or twenty paces?”
“None; but we've hit upon a b-better plan, and you've only to say that you 're sorry for it all, that you did n't m-mean anything, and that you never did b-b-beat a Frenchman, nor will you ever do so in future.”
“Why, what do you mean?” asked Norwood, in astonishment.