make your peace with Heaven!’ said he; and we prepared to fire. ‘You shall have the first chance—it is your right, as I am challenger,’ said he. I gave up my right, however, but he would not accept my offer. I fired, and shot the pistol out of his hand. ‘This seemed to irritate him exceedingly—it was brought to him by the servant. He examined th lock, took a steady aim; but his rage became ungovernable when, having fired, he found that I was uninjured. He insisted that he ought to have shot me through the heart, and yet was obliged to allow that there had not been the slightest movement on my part, to which he could ascribe his failure. At his desire the contest was renewed, with precisely the same results, only that, as I took aim again at his pistol, which he held in his left hand, the ball did not pass without grazing and contusion. After he had missed for the second time, I declared that I would by no means proceed any farther,—that is to say, I would not again fire at him; but as he had perhaps failed from too great agitation, he might, for the third time, take aim at me if he were so disposed. But before he could answer this question, the Count and Libussa, whose sus-
