“Fight a duel! What! in this age and in this country?” “Yes, in this age and in this country, my dear! And I do not see, for my part, how it can be helped—I mean prevented—except by the police. I saw the whole thing, Anna. Just as your carriage drove off, Alick claps his hand upon the prince and charges him then and there with insulting a lady and stealing a bouquet. You should have seen Prince Ernest then. Talk about the Germans being phlegmatic! Though Prince Ernest is an Austrian, by the way. Why, Anna, he jumped two feet from the ground at the first charge, and vaulted four feet into the air at the second. If they are permitted to meet, he will eat Alick’s head.” “A duel in England! and at this time of the world!” “But you must remember that it is not to be between Englishmen, but between an Austrian and an American and not, probably, in England; but upon some of the little islands of the channel.” “I thought duels had gone out about the time that railroads came in,” said Anna. “So did I.” “Didn’t you speak to Alick? Didn’t you try to prevent the challenge?” “Of course I did, but with what hope of success? I might as well have preached to the winds as to Alexander; and as to Prince Ernest, after the first words had passed, it would have been quite hopeless as well as very presumptuous to have tried to expostulate with him. I did not even attempt it. He had been outraged, grossly outraged, and was in a towering passion that even overtopped Alexander’s fury. And if Alick had not challenged the prince, the prince would have challenged him.” “But the duel must be stopped!” “Of course, if possible.” “What can be done?” “Our only hope is in the police. It was in this view of the case, and not in any prospect of a successful interview with Alick, that I jumped into a cab and tried to follow him and find out his address; but he had a minute’s start of me, and so of course I lost him. I drove to Mivart’s; but he does not stop there, I was told. I went on speculation to several places where I hoped to hear of him; but without success. Lastly, I did what I should have done at first—went to Scotland Yard and lodged information of the projected breach of the peace with the police. Then I came home. So you see, my dear, it was my anxious night race through the London streets that gave me the haggard look of a ruined gamester.” “It was nice of you, Dick, to take so much trouble to save that good for nothing fellow. Shall you tell Drusa?” “Of course not. You would not advise me to do so?” “No; for it would be useless as well as painful for her to know anything about it.” “You will tell grandpa?” “Yes; as soon as he is up and has had his breakfast, I must consult with him as to what further can be done. Now, Anna, dear, you had better try to get a little sleep before breakfast; as for me, I shall go and take a bath and get a cup of coffee, and be off to Scotland Yard again, and be back time enough to meet my uncle when he appears.”