"Put him on the bed," whispered the leader of my assailants. When this
was done the voice added: "Now you can go to the stables and wait there
till I call you."
It was the innkeeper. He surveyed me for a moment and scratched his
chin.
"Will Herr keep perfectly quiet if I take the handkerchief from his
mouth?" he asked.
I nodded, bewildered.
"What in tophet does this mean?" I gasped. I did not say tophet, but
it looks better in writing.
"It means nothing and everything," was the answer. "In the first
place, Herr will fight no duel. The man with whom you were to fight
was sent on an errand to this out-of-the-way place as a punishment for
dueling at the capital. I know him by reputation. He is a brawler,
but a fair swordsman. He would halve you as I would a chicken. There
is another who has a prior claim on him. If there is anything left of
Herr Lieutenant at the end of the fray, you are welcome to it. Yes,
there will be a duel, but you will not be one of the principals. It is
all arranged."
"But I do not understand," I cried.
"It is not necessary that you should.
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