"Only this, sir," I replied, "he insulted me, then he insulted Mademoiselle Julie, who is now my wife; I struck him, he drew his sword, and I my bayonet. I was the quicker of the two, and wounded him; then he raised his sword to cut me down, and I repeated the blow."
"But there were three wounds; is it not so?" he said to the surgeon.
"Yes, monsieur le commandant."
"How do you explain the third wound?"
"Two," I answered, "were in self-defence, the third, sir, in passion."
"Ah; and how in self-defence?"
"The first, sir, on the arm as he drew his sword; the second on the body as he lifted it to strike; the third, sir, on the body in the anger of the moment."
"That will do," said the officer; "as the general is arriving to-day I will lay the matter before him. But I warn you, prepare for a court-martial and its result."
I saluted, and was led away.
There is no need to go through the preliminaries. The general received the same information from me as the commandant had got, and at once ordered a board of officers to try me for the offence.