“I will never draw upon a defenceless man.”
I gave him a blow with my cane by way of answer, and the coward, instead of drawing his sword, began to cry out that I wished to draw him into a fight. The Englishman burst out laughing and begged me to pardon his interference, and then, taking me by the arm, said,—
“Come along, sir, I see you know the gentleman.”
The coward went off in another direction, grumbling as he went.
On the way I informed the officer of the very good reasons I had for treating Pocchini as a rogue, and he agreed that I had been perfectly right. “Unfortunately,” he added, “I am in love with one of his daughters.”
When we were in the midst of St. James’s Park we saw them, and I could not help laughing when I noticed Goudar with one of them on each side.
“How did you come to know these ladies?” said I.
“Their father the captain,” he answered, “has sold me jewels; he introduced me to them.”
“Where did you leave our father?” asked one.
“In Hyde Park, after giving him a caning.”