Westward Ho! Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen ElizabethKingsley, Charles
History
Westward Ho! Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Kingsley, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction
“But not my revenge, senor,” says the Spaniard, with a frown. “This duel
is a l'outrance, on my part; and, I believe, on Mr. Cary's also.”
“By heaven, it is!” says Will, trying to push past. “Let me go, Arthur
St. Leger; one of us must down. Let me go, I say!”
“If you stir, Mr. Cary, you have to do with Richard Grenville!” thunders
the lion voice. “I am angry enough with you for having brought on this
duel at all. Don't provoke me still further, young hot-head!”
Cary stops sulkily.
“You do not know all, Sir Richard, or you would not speak in this way.”
“I do, sir, all; and I shall have the honor of talking it over with Don
Guzman myself.”
“Hey!” said the Spaniard. “You came here as my second, Sir Richard, as I
understood, but not as my counsellor.”
“Arthur, take your man away! Cary! obey me as you would your father,
sir! Can you not trust Richard Grenville?”
“Come away, for God's sake!” says poor Arthur, dragging Cary's sword
from him; “Sir Richard must know best!”
So Cary is led off sulking, and Sir Richard turns to the Spaniard,
“And now, Don Guzman, allow me, though much against my will, to speak to
you as a friend to a friend. You will pardon me if I say that I cannot
but have seen last night's devotion to--”
“You will be pleased, senor, not to mention the name of any lady to whom
I may have shown devotion. I am not accustomed to have my little affairs
talked over by any unbidden counsellors.”
“Well, senor, if you take offence, you take that which is not given.
Only I warn you, with all apologies for any seeming forwardness, that
the quest on which you seem to be is one on which you will not be
allowed to proceed.”
“And who will stop me?” asked the Spaniard, with a fierce oath.
“You are not aware, illustrious senor,” said Sir Richard, parrying the
question, “that our English laity look upon mixed marriages with full as
much dislike as your own ecclesiastics.”
“Marriage, sir? Who gave you leave to mention that word to me?”
Sir Richard's brow darkened; the Spaniard, in his insane pride, had
forced upon the good knight a suspicion which was not really just.
“Is it possible, then, Senor Don Guzman, that I am to have the shame of
mentioning a baser word?”
“Mention what you will, sir. All words are the same to me; for, just or
unjust, I shall answer them alike only by my sword.”
“You will do no such thing, sir. You forget that I am your host.”
“And do you suppose that you have therefore a right to insult me? Stand
on your guard, sir!”
Grenville answered by slapping his own rapier home into the sheath with
a quiet smile.
“Senor Don Guzman must be well enough aware of who Richard Grenville is,
to know that he may claim the right of refusing duel to any man, if he
shall so think fit.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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