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These niceties of honor were new to me, and I had been brought up to make little distinction between duelling and murder. "Be it so, then, Monsieur De Simoncourt," I said. "We will meet you at Bellevue, at ten." "On the terrace?" "On the terrace." We bowed and parted. Dalrymple was already gone, and De Caylus, still white and trembling with rage, was wiping the wine from his face and shirt.
The next arrival was he whom we sought. We strolled on, as before, and came upon him face to face. "De Simoncourt, by all that's propitious!" cried Dalrymple. "What Major Dalrymple returned to Paris!" "Ay, just returned. Bored to death with Berlin and Vienna no place like Paris, De Simoncourt, go where one will!" "None, indeed.
"I will stake a few pieces presently on the green cloth," replied Dalrymple, carelessly; "but, first of all, I want to initiate my young friend here. As to double écarté, Monsieur de Simoncourt, I need hardly tell you, as a man of the world, that I never play it with strangers." De Simoncourt smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. "Quite right," said he.
"If it were four hundred, and it answered my purpose," said Dalrymple, between his teeth, "I should hold it money well spent!" At this moment De Simoncourt came up, and apologized for having left us so long. "If you want mere amusement, Major Dalrymple," said he, "I suppose you will prefer roulette to écarté!"
"Madame de Sainte Amaranthe, permit me to present my friends, Major Dalrymple and Mr. Arbuthnot," said De Simoncourt, imprinting a gallant kiss on the plump hand of the hostess. Madame de Ste. Amaranthe professed herself charmed to receive any friends of M. de Simoncourt; whereupon M. de Simoncourt's friends were enchanted to be admitted to the privilege of Madame de Ste. Amaranthe's acquaintance.
"If you are going," he said, "I may as well hand over the price of that Tilbury. When will they send it home?" "To-morrow, undoubtedly." "And I am to pay fifteen hundred franks for it!" "Just half its value!" observed M. de Simoncourt, with a shrug of his shoulders. Dalrymple smiled, counted the notes, and handed them to his friend.
"Suppose we allow them five hours to put their papers in order, and meet at Bellevue, on the terrace, at ten?" "So soon!" I exclaimed. "Soon!" echoed De Simoncourt. "Why, under circumstances of such exceeding aggravation, most men would send for pistols and settle it across the table!" I shuddered.
Would to Heaven I had trusted only my own arm from the first! Would to Heaven that, instead of having anything to say to the cursed brood of the law, I had taken the viper by the throat, and brought him to my own terms, after my own fashion!" "But you have not yet told me what you are doing here?" "I am waiting to see Monsieur de Simoncourt." "Monsieur de Simoncourt!" "Yes.
She then begged that we would make ourselves at home, and, gliding away, whispered something in De Simoncourt's ear, to which he replied by a nod of intelligence. "That harpy hopes to fleece us," said Dalrymple, slipping his arm through mine and drawing me towards the roulette table. "She has just told De Simoncourt to take us in hand. I always suspected the fellow was a Greek." "A Greek?"
Dalrymple, on the contrary, had neither more nor less color than usual, and puffed away at his cigar with as much indifference as if he were waiting his turn at the pit of the Comédie Française. Both were clothed in black from head to foot, with their coats buttoned to the chin. "All is ready," said De Simoncourt. "Gentlemen, choose your weapons."
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