A minute or two after, Billy Byles himself entered without ceremony, and apologized for having been absent at his stables when I arrived. "I have asked nobody to meet you," he said, "because I know your English prejudices upon these occasions; and I have given Bob Thornton a hint not to bring more than two or three friends, at the utmost, to the ground, to-morrow. I find Wheatley, of Norfolk, brought you over, and he is as good a man as any to have with us." "I can assure you he came with no invitation of mine," I replied; "but hearing I was coming over to dine with you, he invited himself, and, of course, I could not refuse his company. As we came, I found that Miss Davenport's suspicions and his own knowledge of such affairs had made him aware that some _rencontre_ was going to take place." "All the better, all the better," answered Billy Byles; "and he is always so cool and self-possessed, that in case of difficulty he is ready to take the right ground in a moment. But now, let us go in to dinner." I followed him into the drawing-room, where we found Mr. Wheatley, and thence into an adjoining dining room. There, as nice and well-cooked a dinner as could be seen in any part of the world was set before us, seasoned with excellent wines, and my two companions drank pretty deep. But after all the meats had been removed, and fruits, &c., set upon the table, Mr. Byles interposed, saying,-- "Before we take anymore wine, we had better look at our tools and be certain that everything is right and in good working order. Then we will have a bowl of punch and a cigar, a game of piquette, if you like, and then to bed, for we are to be at the Hunter-wood to-morrow by five, and that is three miles off--Apollo, my good fellow"--to the black man, who was still in attendance--"fetch me the mahogany case which is on the table in my room, and bring an oil-cruet and a feather." The man soon returned with the pistol-case and the other things, and we set to work to examine the instruments of destruction. One screw wanted a little easing. A small portion of rust had gathered about the bore of one of the pistols, and had to be removed. The balls, of which there were a dozen ready cast, were all smooth and well pared, and fitted closely and accurately. The patches were nicely greased; the powder found not to leave a trace upon white paper; and everything, in short, brought into neat and exact order. My two companions set about the examination as amateurs; and I, who certainly knew, practically, more of the matter than any of them, and whose life might depend upon the result, thought I might just as well inform my mind upon the same subject as sit idly looking on.