Pembroke and I followed them at a distance.
"I wonder if he had any idea of what a poor shot you were?" mused
Pembroke. "It was a very good farce."
"I aimed ten feet to the right," said I.
"What?"
"Yes."
"Then you knew--"
"Pembroke," said I, "I had no intention of killing him, or even
wounding him. And I never expected to leave this place alive.
Something has occurred during the last twenty-four hours which we do
not understand."
"He was taking great risks."
"It shows the man he is," said I; and the remainder of the distance was
gone in silence.
The carriages were in the road, a short way from the inn. Pembroke and
I got into ours. As the Prince placed a foot on the step of his he
turned once more to me.
"Pardon me," he said, "but I came near forgetting to tell you why I did
not kill you this morning. In some way your Princess came into the
knowledge that we were going to fight it out as they did in the old
days. She came to my rooms, and there begged me to spare your life.
There was a condition. It was that she get down on her knees to
sue--down on her knees.
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