"Duels may often be necessary among the fools and dandies of the Guards," exclaimed Artschakovski roughly, "but it is not the same thing with us. Let us assume for an instance that I and Vasili Vasilich Lipski get blind drunk at mess, and that I, who am a bachelor, whilst drunk, box his ears. What will be the result? Well, either he refuses to exchange a couple of bullets with me, and is consequently turned out of the regiment, or he accepts the challenge and gets a bullet in his stomach; but in either case his children will die of starvation. No, all that sort of thing is sheer nonsense." "Wait a bit," interrupted the old toper, Lieutenant-Colonel Liech, as he held his glass with one hand and with the other made several languid motions in the air; "do you understand what the honour of the uniform is? It is the sort of thing, my dear fellow, which---- But speaking of duels, I remember an event that happened in 1862 in the Temriukski Regiment." "For God's sake," exclaimed Artschakovski, interrupting him in turn, "spare us your old stories or tell us something that took place after the reign of King Orre." "What cheek! you are only a little boy compared with me. Well, as I was saying----" "Only blood can wipe out the stain of an insult," stammered Bobetinski, who plumed himself on being a cock, and now took part in the conversation in a bragging tone. "Well, gentlemen, there was at that time a certain ensign--Solúcha," said Liech, making one more attempt. Captain Osadchi, commander of the 1st Company, approached from the buffet. "I hear that you are talking about duels--most interesting," he began in a gruff, rolling bass that reminded one of a lion's roar, and immediately drowned every murmur in the room. "I have the honour, Lieutenant-Colonel. Good-evening, gentlemen." "Ah! what do I see--the Colossus of Rhodes? Come and sit down," replied Liech affably. "Come and have a glass with me, you prince of giants." "All right," answered Osadchi in an octave lower.