D'EGVILLE ; OR, THE DUELLIST. 539 



sir ?" Stewart took the note and read those words, evidently writ- 

 ten by a hand whose nerves were none of the steadiest, 



" Le Porteur, M. le Capitaine Vilthorpe mon, ami est, charge de 

 " 1'affaire d' honeur entre le Capitaine Esteuarts et moi. 



" HENRI D'EGVILLE." 



" Well, Sir/' said Stewart, after reading this brief epistle, " What 

 does Mr. Henry D'Egville mean by this note ? " He means, Sir, to 

 send me to you as his friend, Sir, in order, Sir,' ah that I may ex- 

 plain to you, Sir, that he conceives himself greatly insulted, Sir, by 

 your conduct in regard to a pretended Gaellic song, Sir, last night at 

 the table of Mr. Invoice, Sir; and not doubting, Sir, that he has the 

 honour of sending to a gentlemen and a man of honour, Sir, ah he 

 has requested me, Sir, to say ah that he hopes to have the pleasure 

 of meeting you at to morrow at gunfire, on the beach behind 

 Iguannarock, Sir ah." 



"Mr. D'Egville shall not have the pleasure of meeting me as he 

 calls it ; by which he means the pleasure of adding me to the line of 

 the score he has already murdered." 



" Surely, Sir, that is not the answer you would, Sir, send to a gen- 

 tleman ah whom you have insulted, Sir, ah am I to understand 

 that you refuse to meet my friend ?" 



" I speak, and you understand English ; do you wish me to send 

 an answer in Gaelic or Greek to Mr. D'Egeville ?" 



" Are you aware, Sir, that my friend Mr. D'Egeville, Sir, will 

 conceive you refusing to meet him to be effects of cowardice?" 



" It matter little to me what the conceptions of your friend may 

 be on the subject," said Stewart, with the admirable coolness he had 

 preserved through the interview. 



" And, Sir, are you aware, Sir,- ah that my friend, Sir, thinking 

 the ah man who would be base enough to insult him, Sir, without 

 having the courage to meet him as a gentleman, deserves to be 

 treated as a scoundrel. He will feel himself called on publicly to 

 chastise you." 



The choler rushed into Stewart's face at hearing this insulting 

 menace; but in a moment he was cool. Putting himself in Will- 

 thorpe's attitude, and admirably mimicking his voice and action, he 

 said, " Are you aware, Sir, that by honouring me, Sir, by going 

 down this accommodation ladder, Sir, ah, you will save me the dis- 

 agreeable necessity, Sir, of pitching you, Sir, ah, overboard. Sir." 

 This remark was made in such a manner that it provoked the mate, 

 carpenter, steward, and two sailors, who had unperceived drawn 

 within earshot, to a boisterous fit of laughter. Willthorpe coloured 

 deeply, and tried to smile in contempt ; but he looked, to use the 

 mate's reading of a passage in Shakspeare, " like Patience on a lee- 

 cat-head, smiling at a wet-swab." 



<( Let us tar and feather the unboiled lobster," said the steward. 

 No sooner was this proposed, than, delighted with the suggestion, 

 the people surrounded Willthorpe, and the mate bawled out, " Here, 

 cook, bring the tar-pot ; here's the devil to pay and no pitch-hot." 



" Go forward 1" said the Captain, in an authoritative tone ; r how 



