"I will not give up Annunziata!"
"Then you must fight!"
"I shall not hesitate!"
"So be it! My life against yours! I will defend this poor girl's honor to the last drop of my blood!"
"When shall we fight?"
"To-morrow at dawn."
"Where?"
"In the clearing beyond the chestnut copse on the further side of the brook. There is no need of witnesses; this matter is between us and us alone!"
"So much the better, for it will be a duel to the death! I cannot as yet hold my right arm aloft long enough to fight with it, but I will make my left hand serve!" Then, as a sudden thought struck him, Massetti added: "Do you propose to betray me, to carry your story to Annunziata and her brother?"
Espérance surveyed his companion with intense scorn flashing from his eyes.