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Show other in getting out o the chaise that I had strong hopes the day would pass before they came to a decision; but Mr. Buxton finally got out himself him-self and pulled his man after him, and then we were soon marking off the ground, and I was feeling that mortal sickness which had attacked me the first time I was under fire in the Ajax, Overton won the toss for position, and at that I could have lain down and wept. Our men were placed 20 paces apart, with their backs to each other. At the word "one" they were to turn, advance ad-vance and fire between the words "two" and "three." This seemed to me the most murderous arrangement 1 had ever heard of. The stories I bad so lately heard about Overton's proficiency with the pistol made me think, even if he did not kill Giles intentionally, he would attempt some expert trick with the pistol, which would do the business equally well. I knew Giles to be a very poor shot, and concluded that he, through awkwardness, would probably prob-ably put an end to Overton, and I regarded re-garded them both as doomed men. I shall never forget my feelings as we were placing our men, or after Mr. Buxton and I had retired to a place under the hedge. Just as we had selected se-lected our places, Giles, looking over his shoulder, said in his usual cool, soft voice: "Don't you think, gentlemen, you had better move two or three furlongs off? Mr. Overton may grow excited and fire wild." I thought this a most dangerous as well as foolish speech, and calculated to irritate Overton; and for the first time I saw a gleam of anger in his eye, which had hitherto beer) mild, and even sad. For I believed then, and knew afterward, that his mind was far from easy on the subject of dueling. I wish to say here that I also believe, had he been fully convinced that dueling duel-ing was wrong, he would have declined to fight, no matter what the consequence conse-quence had been; for I never knew a man with more moral courage. But at the time, although his views were changing on the subject, they were not wholly changed. Mr. Buxton, without noticing Giles' speech, coughed once or twice, and "Gentlemen, Mr. Glyn and myself, after conferring, have agreed that the honor of our principals is fully established, estab-lished, and that the controversy is completely at an end. Allow me lo congratulate you both" and there was a general hand-shaking all around. 1 noliced that the coachman, who was attentively watching the performance, locked slightly disappointed at the I tu n of affairs. Straightway, we all climbed into the chaise, and 1 think 1 shall be believed when 1 say that our return to town was more cheerful (ban our departure had been. We all agreed to dine together at Mivart's the next night, and I saw no reason to believe that there was any remnant of ill feeling between the two late combatants. 1 returned to Berkeley Square that afternoon, with much uneasiness concerning con-cerning my meeting and future intercourse inter-course with Lady Arabella; for I had not seen her since the occurrence in Sir Peter's study. Although nay affection af-fection for her was forever killed by thai box on the ear she gave me, yet no man can see a woman shamed before be-fore him without pain, and the anticipation antici-pation of Lady Arabella's feelings when she saw me troubled me. But this was what actually happened when we met. Lady Arabella was sitting in the Chinese drawing room, her lap-dog lap-dog in her arms, surrounded by half a dozen fops. Lady Hawkshaw had left the room for a moment, and Arabella Ara-bella had taken the opportunity of showing her trick of holding out her dog's paws and kissing his nose, which she called measuring love-ribbon. This performance never failed to throw gentlemen into ecstasies. Daphne sat near, with her work in her lap and a book on the table by her, smiling rather rath-er disdainfully. 1 do not think the cousins loved each other. On my appearance in the drawing room 1 scarcely dared look toward Lady Arabella; but, she called out familiarly: fa-miliarly: "Come here. Dicky!" (her habit of calling me Dicky annoyed me very much) "and Jet me show you how I kiss Fido's nose-: and if you are a good boy, and tell me all about the meeting this morning, perhaps I may hold your paws out and kiss your nose" at which all the gentlemen present laughed loudly. I never was so embarrassed em-barrassed in my life, and my chagrin was increased when, suddenly dropping drop-ping the dog, she rushed at me, seized my hands, and, holding them off at full arm's length, imprinted a sounding smack upon my nose, and laughingly cried out: "One yard!" (Smack on my nose again.) "Two yards!" (Smack.) "Three yards!" (Smack.) At this juncture I recovered my presence of mind enough to seize her around the waist and return her smacks with interest full in the mouth. And at this stage of the proceedings Lady Hawkshaw appeared upon the scene. In an instant an awful hush fell upon us. For my part I felt my knees sinking under me, and I had that feeling feel-ing of mortal sickness which I had felt in my first sea-fight, and at the instant I thought my friend's life in jeopardy. Lady Arabella stood up, for once, confused. .The gentlemen all retired re-tired gracefully to the wall, in order not to interrupt the proceedings, and Daphne fixed her eyes upon me, spar4 kling with indignation. Lady Hawkshaw's voice when she spoke, seemed to come from the tombs of the Pharaohs. "What is this countrytom I see?" she asked. And nobody answered a word. James, the tall footman, stood behind be-hind her; and to him she turned, saying say-ing in a tone like thunder: "Jeames, go and tell Sir Peter Hawkshaw Hawk-shaw that I desire his presence immediately im-mediately upon a matter of the greatest great-est importance." The footman literally ran downstairs, down-stairs, and presently Sir Peter came puffing up from the- lower regions. Lady Arabella had recovered herself then enough to hum a little tune and to pat the floor with her satin slipper. Sir Peter walked in, surveyed us all, and turned pale. I verily believe he thought Arabella had been caught cheating at cards. (TO BE CONTINUED.) pXi; MilTi Mrit liTi i ill M-j'-sajr J TEE LOVES of the LADY ARABELLA By MOLLY ELLIOT SEA WELL 1 i (Copyright, 1900, Bobbs-lierrill Co.) SYNOPSIS. At 14 years of age Admiral Sir Peter Hawksltaw's nephew. Richard Glyn, fell deeply in love at first sight with Lady Arabella Stormont, who spurned bis attentions. at-tentions. The lad, an orphan, was given a berth as midshipman on the Ajax by his uncle. Giles Vernon, nephew of Sir Thomas Vernon, became the boy's pal. They attended a theater where Hawkshaw's Hawk-shaw's nephew saw Lady Arabella. Vernon Ver-non met Philip Overton, next in line for Sir Thomas Vernon's estate. They started start-ed a duel which was interrupted. Vernon. Overton and Hawkshaw's nephew found themselves attracted by pretty Lady Arabella. Ara-bella. The Ajax in battle defeated French warships in the Mediterranean. Richard I Glyn got 2,000 prize money. He was called home by Lady Hawkshaw as he I was about to "blow in" his earnings with I .. Vernon. At a Hawkshaw party Glyn dis- 4 covered that Lady Arabella was a poor but persistent gambler. He talked much with her cousin Daphne. Lady Arabella again showed love for gaming. Later she held Glyn and Overton prisoners, thus delaying the duel. CHAPTER VI. As Overton had said, the meeting was delayed exactly 24 hours. My courage always has an odd way of disappearing when I am expecting to use jit, although I must say, when I have had actual occasion for it I have always found it easily at hand. I cannot can-not deny that I was very much frightened fright-ened for Giles on the morning of the meeting, and. to add to my misery, I heard that Overton was considered one of the best shots in England. The dreary breakfast gulped down; the postchaise rattling up to the door I had hoped until the last moment that it would not come; the bumping along the road in the cool, bright summer sum-mer morning; the gruesome, long, narrow nar-row box that lay on the front seat of - . the chaise; the packet of letters which Giles had given me and which seemed to weigh a hundred tons in my pocket all these were so many horrors to haunt the memory forever. But I must say that, apparently, the misery was all mine; for I never saw Giles Vernon show so much as by the flicker of an eyelash that he was disturbed in any way. About half way from the meeting-ground meeting-ground we left the highway and turned into a by-road; and scarcely had we gone half a mile when we almost drove into a broken-down chaise, and standing on the roadside among the furze bushes were the coachman, the surgeon a most bloody-minded man I always believed him Mr. Buxton and Overton. Our chaise stopped, and Giles, putting put-ting his head out of the window, said, pleasantly: "Good-morning, gentlemen; gentle-men; you have had an accident, I see." "A bad one," replied Mr. Buxton, who saw that their chaise was beyond help, and who, as he said afterward, was playing for a place in our chaise, not liking to walk the rest of the distance. dis-tance. Giles jumped out and so did I, and the most courteous greetings were exchanged. ex-changed. The two drivers, as experts, examined ex-amined the broken chaise, and agreed there was no patching it up for service; ser-vice; one wheel was splintered. Mr. Buxton looked at Giles meaningly, mean-ingly, and then at me, and Giles w whispered to me: "Offer to take 'em up. By Jupiter, they shall see we are no shirkers." Which I did, and, to my amazement. In a few moments we were all lumbering lumber-ing along the road; Overton and Mr. Buxton on the back seat, and Giles and I with our backs to the horses, while the surgeon was alongside the coachman on the box. Nothing could exceed the politeness (between the two principals, about the seats as about everything else. Overton Over-ton was with difficulty persuaded to take the back seat. Mr. Buxton seated himself there without any introduction. ( 1 hope it will never again be my fortune for-tune to negotiate so delicate an affair as a meeting between gentlemen with one so nint h my superior in rank as Mr. Buxton.) "May 1 ask, Mr. Overton, if you prefer pre-fer the window down or up?" asked Giles, with great deference. "Hither, dear sir," responded Overton. Over-ton. " believe it was up when you kindly invited us to enter." "True; but you may be sensitive to the air, and may catch cold." At which Mr. Buxton gritined in a heartless manner. The whitlow remained re-mained up. We were much crowded with the two pistol-cases and the surgeon's box of instruments, which to me appeared more appalling than the pistols. At last we reached the spot a small, flat place under a sweetly-blooming sweetly-blooming hawlhorn hedge, with some verdant oaks at either end. Giles and Overton were so scrupulous scrupu-lous about taking precedence of each Overton Took Off His Hat and Bowed. then waited two or three minutes before be-fore giving the word. The summer sun shone brilliantly, turning the distant river to a silver ribbon. A thrush rioted musically in the hawthorn hedge. All things spoke of life and hope, but to my sinking heart insensate Nature only mocked us. I heard, as in a dream, the words "one. two, three" slowly uttered by Mr. Buxton, and saw, still as in a dream, both men turn and raise their pistols. Overton's was discharged first; then, as he stood like a man in marble waiting for his adversary's fire, Giles raised his pistol and, taking deliberate aim at the bird still singing in the hedge, brought it down. It was a mere lucky shot, but Overton took off his hat and bowed to the ground, and Giles responded by taking off his hat and showing a hole through the brim. "You see, Mr. Glyn," said Overton. "I have done according to my promise. prom-ise. It was not my intention to kill Mr. Vernon, but only to frighten him" which speech Mr. Buxton and I considered con-sidered as a set-off to Giles' speech just before shots were exchanged. The two principals remained where they were, while Mr. Buxton and I retired re-tired behind the hedge to confer or. rather, for Mr. Buxton to say to me: "Another shot would be damned nonsense. My man is satisfied, or shall be. else I am a Dutch trooper. Certainly you have nothing to complain com-plain of." I was only too happy .o accept this solution, but more out of objection to being browbeaten by Mr. Buxton than anything else, I sp.'d: "We shall requ a an explanation of your principal's observation just now, sir." "Shall you?" angrily asked Mr. Buxton, Bux-ton, exactly in the tone he used when the carpenter's mate complained that the jack-o'-the-dust had cribbed his best saw. "Then I shall call your man to account in regard to his late obser-I obser-I vation, and we can keep them pop-' pop-' ping away at each other all day. But this is no slaughter pen. Mr. Glyn, nor am I the ship's butcher, and I shall take my man back to town and give him a glass of spirits and some breakfast, break-fast, and I advise you to do the same. You are very young, Mr. Glyn, and you still need to know a thing or two." Then, advancing from behind the hedge, he said in the dulcet tone he used when the admiral asked him to have wine: |