I think I am giving you a veritable proof of it by not permitting you to fight under such conditions." When the old nobleman reentered the inn, he waited ten minutes, persuaded that his departure would determine that of Cibo and of Pietrapertosa, and that the new affair, following so strangely upon the other, would be deferred until the next day.

He had not told an untruth.
It was his strong friendship for Julien which had made him apprehend a duel organized in that way, under the influence of a righteous indignation.

Gorka's unjustifiable violence would certainly not permit a second encounter to be avoided.

But as the insult had been outrageous, it was the more essential that the conditions should be fixed calmly and after grave consideration.

To divert his impatience, Montfanon bade the innkeeper point out to him whither they had carried Florent, and he ascended to the tiny room, where the doctor was dressing the wounded man's leg.
"You see," said the latter, with a smile, "I shall have to limp a little for a month....