Then our swords fell to talking and our tongues were still.
[Illustration: Then our swords fell to talking in the garden of the
masked ball.]
The turf was free of brush or trees; and, as I have already said, the
illumination was so arranged that, practically, there were no shadows.
The Garden seemed almost as bright as day; indeed, save that the light
was white, we might, just as well, have been duelling at noon-tide as
at midnight.
It had not been hard to gather, from Lotzen's last remarks to his
companion, what sort of a fight he proposed making; and, after the
usual preliminary testing of strength, I contented myself with the
simplest sort of defence and awaited the main attack.
It seems hardly possible that two men could engage in a combat with
rapiers, at such an occasion, and not draw a crowd. There is something
peculiarly penetrating about the ring of steel on steel at night. Yet,
such was the extent of the grounds and, so retired was our locality,
that no strangers were attracted. Almost at the first stroke, however,
I heard exclamations from the direction of my companions. In a moment,
Courtney came running up, his drawn sword in hand--and the others after
him.
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