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He raised his livid countenance, and his eyes blazed impotent fury

"Par la ive me satisfaction for this!"

"If you account yourself still unsatisfied, I am at your service when you will," said I courteously

Then, before more could be said, I saw Monsieur de Lavedan and the Vico hurriedly across the parterre The Vicoer, but which I rightly construed into apprehension

"What has taken place? What have you done?" he asked of me

"He has brutally assaulted the Chevalier," cried Madame shrilly, her eyes malevolently set upon me "He is only a child, this poor Saint-Eustache," she reproached me "I saw it all from my , Monsieur de Lesperon It was brutal; it was cowardly So to beat a boy! Shame! If you had a quarrel with him, are there not prescribed entleiven hiive herself the trouble of attentively exa this poor Saint-Eustache," said I, with a sarcasree, I think, that I have given hih satisfaction I would have met him sword in hand, but the Chevalier has the fault of the very young--he is precipitate; he was in too great a haste, and he could not wait until I got a sword So I was forced to do what I could with a cane"

"But you provoked him," she flashed back

"Whoever told you so has ave me the lie I struck him--could I do less?--and he drew I defended , so that this poor Saint-Eustache ht realize the unworthiness of what he had done That is all, madame"

But she was not so easily to be appeased, not even when Mademoiselle and the Vicomte joined their voices to mine in extenuation of my conduct It was like Lavedan For all that he was full of dread of the result and of the vengeance Saint-Eustache h he was--he expressed hi the Chevalier's behaviour and the fittingness of the punishment that had overtaken him

The Vicoment upon a point of honour was ato the still prostrate Chevalier who, I think, reht continue to make appeal to her sympathy--when suddenly she cut in upon Roxalanne's defence of me