"Mon dieu! mon dieu!" he exclaimed, "You are incroyable, you are a
miracle.
"Gentlemen," he said, turning to those present, when the burst of
enthusiastic applause which greeted the conclusion of this
extraordinary contest subsided, "you see in this young gentleman
one of the finest swordsmen in Europe. I do not say the finest, for
he has not touched me, and having no idea of his force I extended
myself rashly at first; but I may say he is my equal. Never but
once have I crossed swords with such a fencer, and I doubt if even
he was as strong. His parry to my last attack was miraculous. It
was a coup invented by myself, and brought to perfection with that
one I speak of. I believed no one else knew it, and have ever
reserved it for a last extremity; but his defence, even to the last
wrench, which would have disarmed any other man but myself, and
even me had I not known that it should have come then, was perfect;
it was astounding.
"This maitre of yours--this Monsieur Dessin," he went on, turning
to Rupert, "must be a wonder.
"Ah!" he said suddenly, and as if to himself; "c'est bien possible!
What was he like, this Monsieur Dessin?"
"He is tall, and slight except as to his shoulders, where he is
very broad."
"And he has a little scar here, has he not?" the fencing master
said, pointing to his temple.
"Yes," Rupert said, surprised; "I have often noticed it."
"Then it is he," Monsieur Dalboy said, "the swordsman of whom I
spoke.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83