The Quiet Gentleman

'Not at all. She is a woman of remarkable good-sense. What nonsense is this, Lucy?'

'No nonsense of my seeking.'

'But you cannot mean to meet Martin, surely!'

Ulverston shrugged. 'I told him I could not, but when he chose to slap my face what would you have expected me to do?'

'I can think of several things you might do. They would all of them do Martin a world of good, but they don't include calling him out.'

'Boot's on the other leg: he called me out. Of course I told him not to be making such a cake of himself, but when it came to his suggesting I didn't care to face his markmanship, it was the outside of enough!'

'Oh, here's a high flight!' said Gervase, laughing. 'My poor Lucy, you have a great need to prove your mettle! I beg your pardon! But you can't prove it against my foolish young brother, you know.'

'Don't be alarmed! You don't suppose I mean to hit him, do you?'

'No, I fear he means to hit you.'

'I'll take my chance of that.'

'Make no mistake about this, Lucy!' Gervase said quietly. 'If Martin means to kill you, there will be no chance. He is a very fine shot.'

'Is he?' The Viscount looked a little startled. 'As good as you?'

'Much better.'

'The devil he is! The more reason, then, for not drawing back!'

'Lucy, if you really wish to be reassured, let me tell you that you will earn nothing but praise for withdrawing a challenge to a boy with not one tenth your experience!'

'You're quite out. Not my challenge at all: I had nothing to do but accept a quarrel he was determined to force on to me.'

The Earl, who had been twirling his quizzing-glass on the end of its ribbon, now raised it to one eye, and through it surveyed his friend. 'You said Martin slapped your face!'

'He did. I gave him a leveller; he asked me for satisfaction, which I refused to give him; he then slapped my cheek, and asked if I would now meet him. I call that his challenge, not mine!'

'How very irregular!' remarked the Earl, slightly amused.

'Irregular! The whole affair is quite abominable! God knows I don't want to quarrel with your brother—not but what it's time someone taught him not to persecute defenceless girls with his damned attentions!'

'Forgive me, Lucy, but what is your interest in Miss Bolderwood? I have myself called Martin to book for— unmannerly conduct towards her, but it ought, I think, to be remembered that they are old playfellows, and have not been used to stand upon ceremony with each other.'

'Oh, yes! Boy and girl stuff! I know that!' Ulverston said impatiently. He took a turn about the room. 'Well! I imagine you have guessed! Nothing is to be announced until after her presentation, but you may wish me happy, Ger!'

'With all my heart! She will make you a delightful wife, and you will have the felicity of knowing yourself to be the object of a general envy!'

The Viscount grinned, as he grasped his hand. 'Is she not beautiful, Ger? Those speaking eyes! So much countenance!'

'Indeed she is!' Gervase responded warmly.

'I can tell you, I think myself fortunate to have secured her affections before you had done so!'

'I cannot flatter myself that she ever thought more of me than of Martin.'

'Oh—Martin!' The Viscount said, his grin vanishing. 'If I thought I had cut you out, I should be sorry for it!'

'No, you have cut Martin out.'

'I care nothing for that. It ain't true, either.'

'I fancy he has been the most fav—prominent—of her suitors,' Gervase said, correcting himself hastily.

'Very likely. They are, as you have said, old playfellows, if he chose to think she cared for him, he must be a bigger coxcomb than I knew!'

Gervase let this pass. He picked up his snuff-box, and opened it, and took a meditative pinch. 'Will you go halfway to meet Martin, Lucy?'

'To save you annoyance, yes!'

Gervase smiled at him. 'Really, you know, Lucy, we cannot have such a scandal! These little affairs always leak out. By the by, was I to act for you?'

'Exactly what I asked the young fool! He told me Warboys would be happy to act for me! Man I've only met three times in my life!'

Gervase burst out laughing. 'Warboys! I wish he may come to offer his services to you!'

But at that very moment, Mr. Warboys was most strenuously resisting all efforts put forward to make him do this very thing. 'No, dash it, Martin!' he said. 'Don't mind acting for you—not but what I think you're making a cake of yourself, mind!—but I'm damned if I'll act for a fellow I don't know!'

'You do know him! He was at our ball!'

'What's that to say to anything? Seen him at Whissenhurst a couple of times too, but that don't mean I know him!'

'What does it signify? The circumstances are peculiar, and—'

'Yes, and that's another thing!' said Mr. Warboys. 'No wish to offend you, dear old boy—and it ain't a bit of use trying to call me out if you are offended!—but the circumstances are too dashed peculiar! Mind, now, I'm not sure, because I haven't been out myself, but I don't think this is at all the thing. I'll ask my father: knows everything, my father!'

'You will not! Do you think I want the whole world to know of this?'

'Precious soon will know of it,' commented the sapient Mr. Warboys. 'All over the countryside within twenty-four hours! A nice cry-out there will be! You take a damper, dear boy! much the best thing to do!'

'I tell you the fellow knocked me down, and has accepted my challenge!'

'You told me it wasn't till you gave him a facer that he did accept your challenge. Good sort of a man, Ulverston,' said Mr. Warboys thoughtfully. 'Withdraw the challenge. Nothing else to be done.'

'No?' said Martin, through his shut teeth. 'I'll show you what else is to be done!'

'Won't show me,' said Mr. Warboys, in a tone of strong resolution. 'The more I think about it the more I think it ain't the kind of affair I want to be mixed up with. Can't call a fellow out when he's staying in your house.'

'St. Erth's house, not mine!'

'Comes to the same thing. Very important to be nice in all points of honour. Another thing! no business to have challenged him at all. Quite the thing, when he knocked you over: nothing to say against that! When you hit him, his business to ask for satisfaction, not yours. Damme, you've made a ramshackle business of it, Martin!'

'I have, have I? Do you think I'll withdraw because you tell me to?' demanded Martin furiously.

'No,' said Mr. Warboys mournfully. 'Just thought of that. Ought to have told you to go on with it. Never knew such a fellow for going against everyone! Often crossed my mind you wouldn't have run mad after Miss Bolderwood if you hadn't seen the rest of us hanging round her. Nothing would do for you but to carry her off just to spite us!'

'By God, Barny, if you weren't a friend of mine—!' Martin said, his fists clenching.

'If I weren't a friend of yours, wouldn't have dared to say it,' responded Mr. Warboys frankly. 'Quite true, though. Dash it, Ulverston did the right thing when he gave you that leveller! Sorry I didn't see it. Might have tried to do it myself, if I'd seen you frightening that poor little angel! Don't say I'd have succeeded because I never was up to your weight, but there it is: daresay I should have been carried away.'

'You would!' retorted Martin, with grim humour.

Mr. Warboys, grappling with deep thoughts, paid no heed to this, but pronounced, after a moment: 'Tell you what, Martin! Shouldn't be surprised if there was more to it than we know. Occurred to me the other evening: seems devilish taken with Ulverston, don't she? No sense in putting a bullet into the fellow: might easily give her a