The adventurer regarded him in his turn fiercely, fell back a step, and, after renewing the powder in the pan of his fusil, said, in a calm voice-- "Two thousand!" Before these two obstinate adversaries the other bidders had prudently withdrawn; the competition was turning into a quarrel, and threatened to become sanguinary. A deadly silence brooded over the shed; the over-excited passions of these two men had spoiled all the pleasures of the spectators, and silenced all their jokes. The Governor followed with interest the different incidents of this struggle, ready to interfere at any moment. The adventurers had gradually fallen back, and left a large free space between the two men. Belle Tête recoiled a few paces in his turn, suddenly examined the priming of his fusil, and then, pointing the latter at his adversary, shouted-- "Three thousand!" The other raised his fusil at the same moment to his shoulder. "Three thousand five hundred crowns!" he shouted, as he pulled the trigger--the fusil was discharged. But the Governor, with a movement rapid as thought, threw up the barrel with the end of his cane, and the ball lodged in the roof. Belle Tête remained motionless, though, on hearing the shot, he lowered his fusil. "Sir," the Governor exclaimed, indignantly, addressing the adventurer who had fired, "You have acted in a dishonourable way, and almost committed a murder." "Governor," the adventurer coolly replied, "when I fired he had his gun pointed at me, and hence it is a duel." The Governor hesitated, for the answer was specious. "No matter, sir," he continued, a moment later, "the laws of duelling were not respected; to punish you I put you out of the bidding. Sir," he said, addressing the company's agent, "I order that the woman, who was the cause of this deplorable aggression, be knocked down to Señor Belle Tête for three thousand crowns." The agent bowed with rather an angry look, for the worthy man had hoped, from the way things were going on, to reach a much higher figure; but he dared not make any observations to Chevalier de Fontenay; he must yield, and so he did. "Louise is adjudged for three thousand crowns," he said, with a sigh of regret--not for the woman, but for the money--"to M. Belle Tête." "Very good, Governor," the baffled adventurer said, with an ugly smile, "I must bow to your final sentence; but Belle Tête and I will meet again." "I hope so, too, Picard," Belle Tête answered, coldly; "there must be bloodshed between us now." During this time Louise had come down from the platform, when another woman took her place, and had stationed herself, still weeping, by the side of Belle Tête, who was henceforth her lord and master. M. de Fontenay gave a commiserating glance at the poor girl, who was about, in all probability, to endure such a cruel existence with so harsh a man, and then gently said to her--