I found a good conveyance at the farm, and the man promised to drive me in to Gorice by dinner-time. I gave him half-a-crown as an earnest, and went away, telling him to come for me. I returned to the count's and had scarcely finished getting ready when the conveyance drove up. I was about to put my luggage in it, when a servant came from the count asking me to give him a moment's conversation. I wrote a note in French, saying that after what had passed we ought not to meet again under his roof. A minute later he came into my room, and shut the door, saying,-- "As you won't speak to me, I have come to speak to you." "What have you got to say?" "If you leave my house in this fashion you will dishonour me, and I will not allow it." "Excuse me, but I should very much like to see how you are going to prevent me from leaving your house." "I will not allow you to go by yourself; we must go together." "Certainly; I understand you perfectly. Get your sword or your pistols, and we will start directly. There is room for two in the carriage." "That won't do. You must dine with me, and then we can go in my carriage." "You make a mistake. I should be a fool if I dined with you when our miserable dispute is all over the village; to-morrow it will have reached Gorice." "If you won't dine with me, I will dine with you, and people may say what they like. We will go after dinner, so send away that conveyance." I had to give in to him. The wretched count stayed with me till noon, endeavouring to persuade me that he had a perfect right to beat a country-woman in the road, and that I was altogether in the wrong. I laughed, and said I wondered how he derived his right to beat a free woman anywhere, and that his pretence that I being her lover had no right to protect her was a monstrous one. "She had just left my arms," I continued, "was I not therefore her natural protector? Only a coward or a monster like yourself would have remained indifferent, though, indeed, I believe that even you would have done the same." A few minutes before we sat down to dinner he said that neither of us would profit by the adventure, as he meant the duel to be to the death. "I don't agree with you as far as I am concerned," I replied; "and as to the duel, you can fight or not fight, as you please; for my part I have had satisfaction. If we come to a duel I hope to leave you in the land of the living, though I shall do my best to lay you up for a considerable time, so that you may have leisure to reflect on your folly. On the other hand, if fortune favours you, you may act as you please." "We will go into the wood by ourselves, and my coachman shall have orders to drive you wherever you like if you come out of the wood by yourself." "Very good indeed; and which would you prefer--swords or pistols?" "Swords, I think." "Then I promise to unload my pistols as soon as we get into the carriage."