In the meanwhile, Herman,--or Hyland Gilbert, as he must now be called,--(so soon as he beheld the maiden, wooed so wildly and vainly, fly to her parent for refuge,) turned from the illuminated path, and taking advantage of his previous knowledge of the garden, soon succeeded in making his way out of it, and, as he thought, without being observed. He hurried through the park, torn by a tempest of passions, and had almost reached the gate, when he was suddenly roused by a tap on the shoulder, which brought him to a stand. The moon had set, and the light of the stars, breaking through ragged clouds, was not sufficient to make him acquainted with the visage of the intruder; but the first word of the salutation that accompanied the touch, told him he was now confronted with his rival. "An excellent good night to you, my fine hail-fellow-well-met!" cried Harry Falconer; "you'll be jogging, will you? A word in your ear: there's star-light enough to be civil by, soft moist grass for sleeping on, and, gad's my life, as good barren clay at your feet as ever gentleman rotted under. Now you may be surprised to hear it, but I have the prettiest pair of pistols in my pocket that were ever made for a lady's finger; somewhat dwarfish, to be sure--but, egad, as good, at six paces, for blowing one's brains out, as a battering piece at point-blank distance. So douse kit, as the cobbler says, and let's begin.--Harkee, sir, no skulking! Don't put me to the painful necessity of calling hard names. No sneaking!" "You are a fool," said Hyland, sternly. "If you will renew your quarrel, come to me in the morning." "By your leave, no," said the lieutenant, laying hand on his collar. "As to being a fool, adzooks, as the Captain says, I am, or _was_, for supposing you an honest, respectable sort of a vagabond young man; whereas, on the contrary"---- "Remove your hand, or----Well, sir," cried the young Gilbert, "what will you have? Must I cut your throat? Trust me, my fingers have been itching to do it all day; and, at this moment, they are hotter than ever. Begone, therefore, while you may, and while the devil is yet behind me. This is no time nor place for quarrelling." "The best in the world," said the officer; "and to end your scruples at once, know that I give you choice only of two alternatives. Being a cursed Hawk-Hollow Gilbert"---- "Hah!" "You have a certain claim to the gallows; but being also an exceedingly well-behaved, genteel, handsome young dog, who have done me the honour to court my sweetheart, you have an equal claim to die in a gentlemanly way. So take your choice--a pistol, six paces, and a shot at _one-two-three_; or yield yourself a prisoner, and die by a drum-head court-martial." "What if I say,--Neither?" replied Gilbert. "Away, molest me not." And he turned again to depart, but was again arrested by the hot soldier. "Oh, gad," cried this worthy, "one thing you _must_ say."