"I do--I do!" palpitated Thornton. "It will be a lucky fellow who can call you his darling! If I might----" "Mr. Thornton, you are presuming! This is too much!" Then Jack Diamond suddenly appeared, and asked: "Did you call for aid, Miss Darling?" "I was about to do so," declared the girl. "Mr. Thornton has been very presuming and forward." "Then Mr. Thornton shall answer to me!" came sternly from Jack's lips. "If he is not a coward, he will come outside." Tom turned pale and stammered. He felt like refusing to go outside, but he feared the girl would think him a coward. Then he looked around, and his eyes fell on Willis Paulding. "Yes, I will go out with you," he said. "Miss Darling" seemed to be overcome with fear. "Don't kill him, Jack!" she whispered. So she addressed Diamond as "Jack." That fired Thornton till he longed to strangle the Virginian. "Lead on!" he exclaimed. "I will follow." They left the room, Thornton calling to Willis, who followed them, wonderingly. Diamond had made a signal to Merriwell, and Frank was not far behind. Diamond led the way to the garden. It was a moonlight night, and seemed almost as light as day. "Mr. Thornton," said Diamond, sternly, "you have grossly insulted a young lady friend of mine. It is my duty to protect her. I challenge you to fight me, the weapons to be pistols, the place here, and the time now. Your answer, sir--your answer!" Thornton turned pale, and hesitated. He knew nothing of dueling, and therefore did not know that, being the challenged party, it was his privilege to name the weapons, the time and the place. In a moment, he found Tad Horner at his elbow. Where Tad had come from and how he happened to be there Tom could not conceive. But Tad was on hand, and he whispered: "Take him up, old man--take him up! He is a regular fire-eater--in his mind. He thinks you will squeal. If he finds you will fight, he is sure to back out. He hasn't any real nerve. If he does fight, I'll fix it all right, for I will see that the pistols are loaded with blank cartridges. After the first shot, I will demand that the duel cease. Thus you will get the reputation of having fought a duel, without incurring any danger to yourself." Thornton was pleased with the scheme. He wished to be considered a dare-devil sort of fellow, and he felt that it would give him a great reputation if he fought a real duel. "Sir," he said, turning to Diamond, "I accept your challenge, and I shall do my best to shoot you through the heart!" Five minutes later came the question: "Gentlemen, are you ready?" "All ready," answered both Diamond and Thornton. "I will count three, and then give the word," said Frank Merriwell, distinctly. "One!" Despite himself, Willis Paulding felt his flesh creep and heard his teeth chatter. Thornton was shaking, even though he had been assured by Tad Horner that there were no bullets in the pistols.