THE DUEL BETWEEN THE MARQUIS AND D'ALVIMAR.
His game was a difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill him unintentionally.
But the contest was serious enough. D'Alvimar felt that he had an adversary inferior to himself in theory; but he was himself disturbed and preoccupied and inferior to himself in practice. His game was a difficult one to play. He wished to kill the marquis and to seem to kill him unintentionally.
So he tried to make him run himself through, by acting on the defensive; and the marquis seemed to detect his stratagem, for he acted cautiously.
The duel was prolonged for some time without result. Guillaume relied on the marquis's fatigue, thinking that D'Alvimar would not strike him down. D'Alvimar found that the marquis showed no signs of giving way; he tried to excite him by feints, hoping that a feeling of impatience would lead him to depart from the surprising prudence of his play.
Suddenly the moon was veiled by a dark cloud, and Guillaume tried to interpose to suspend the combat; he had not time: the two champions were rolling on the ground.
A third champion rushed toward them, at the risk of being spitted; it was Adamas, who, having lost his head and not knowing which had the advantage, plunged wildly into the fray. Guillaume threw him back with violence, and saw the marquis kneeling on D'Alvimar's body.
"Mercy, cousin!" he cried; "mercy for him who would have spared you!"