A ticklish thing--ay, a ticklish thing in the best of light.

Did he deflect a fraction of a second too early, I should be warned and saved.
Did he deflect a fraction of a second too late, my thrust would go home to him.
"Quick and brilliant is it ?" was my thought.

"Very well, my Italian friend, quick and brilliant shall it be, and especially shall it be quick." In a way, it was time attack against time attack, but I would fool him on the time by being over-quick.

And I was quick.

As I said, we had been at work scarcely a minute when it happened.