"The duellist demands satisfaction." "Honour, for him, is an appetite." "This is a true story about an eccentric kind of hunger." "It begins in the year Napoleon Bonaparte became ruler of France." "Gentlemen, General Treillard." "Who knows Lieutenant Feraud?" "7th Hussars." " l do, sir." " You know him well?" " l've once or twice met him, sir." " Tell him he's under close arrest." "Lieutenant Feraud has skewered the mayor's nephew, an affair of honour." "I've spent the last two hours apologising to the mayor." "Could you convey to Lieutenant Feraud how much I'd be likely to enjoy that?" " l hope so, sir." " l hope so, too." "In case he feels an interest, the mayor's nephew is still alive more or less." "Tell him I shall take pleasure in seeing him later." "I want some food." "Perhaps you could rout out a crust?" " l regret the interruption." " Sir." " ls Lieutenant Feraud at home?" " He's gone out." " Where?" " l don't know." "My dear, this is very important soldiers' business." "He went to pay a call." "Pay a call on whom?" "I'm sure he keeps nothing from you." " Madame de Lionne." " Did he?" "He has an angel at home and off he goes to visit Mme de Lionne." "He must be quite blind." "Please pardon this intrusion." "I'm on military business, a lamentable reason for invading your drawing room." "Come again this evening and plead your forgiveness." "Madame, I have orders for Lieutenant Feraud." "Please excuse us both." "I have an order from General Treillard." "Report immediately to your quarters and remain there under close arrest." "What did you say?" "I'm only a messenger, that must be obvious." "You heard my message." "Yes, damn you." "Under arrest for what?" "You did fight a duel this morning?" "Of course." "You make duelling sound like a pastime in the Garden of Eden." "I think we ought to leave now, don't you?" "What have I done?" "Was I to let some sauerkraut-eater wipe his boots on the uniform of the 7th Hussars?" "The sauerkraut-eater's uncle happens to be the mayor of Strasbourg." "The General had to hear his complaint." "I'm obliged to him." "Should I be grateful to you for finding me?" "Frankly, I think you ought to be." "I had no end of trouble finding you." "Calm yourself." "I do advocate it most earnestly." " You'd let them spit on Bonaparte?" " Bonaparte?" "Bonaparte has nothing to do with this." "You think that name's come from the street?" "Sir, whichever name you choose to defend, I'd use it with the utmost respect." "You know damn well which name!" "Would you leave us alone, please?" "Your duty is to victimise me." "Am I mistaken?" "You chose to hunt me out in the drawing room of a lady who..." "Sir, I respect your sentiments." "But I can assure you the hunt was not my choice." "You have insulted me." " You have insulted me!" " l have strained my patience." " l demand an apology." " This is too ridiculous." "Really, too ridiculous?" "A proper general's poodle." " Can you fight?" " l see no reason to." "What reason would you like?" "Shall I spit in your face?" "Shall I cut a chunk out of your backside?" "Or would that be too ridiculous?" "How do you get back to your general now?" "The window?" "I believe you're quite a madman." "You draw your sword." "You draw your sword." "Or I'll chase you down the street like a chicken." "You will not. I will be delighted to fight you at the first opportunity." " You'll fight now." " l'm on duty and you're under arrest." " Now!" " For duelling, you ape!" "You'll fight now." " Where?" " ln the garden." " We have no seconds." " l'll find you seconds." "Old man." "Stand here..." "And watch me!" "Enter." " You've been scratched by a woman." " Correct." " Did you commit a crime of passion?" " Certainly not." "No, I agree that would be out of character." "Well, what happened?" " l wounded a man in a duel." " How?" " Cut across the forearm." " Name of adversary?" "Gabriel Feraud." " He fought a duel this morning." " He also fought a duel this afternoon." "I've anatomised the military man, literally picked through his brains." "It's my fate to put him together." "Haven't the slightest idea how he works." " Where do I find this...." " Lieutenant Feraud." "What was the cause of the quarrel?" "Ask him." "Ah." "Cause of quarrel: obscure." "Still, we appear to be more civilised." "A tomcat wouldn't dream of sending a surgeon to another tomcat." "You could try this on your face." "You were recommended as a reliable young officer." "You're a disgrace!" "You look like a damned Hottentot!" "Look at yourself!" "You'll return to your regiment at once." "I've no further use for you." "Pending an inquiry, you are confined to barracks under close arrest." " Sir, I shall welcome the inquiry." " You will, will you, Lieutenant?" "If you emerge from it pure as driven snow, you remain an imbecile." "Get out." "The whole town is buzzing with it." "I spoke with a delightful old gentleman, who affected to believe in the transmigration of souls." "He suggested you had both been enemies in a previous incarnation." " What did Feraud suggest?" " He kept remarkably quiet about it." "Much like yourself." " lt will all come out at the inquiry." " There won't be an inquiry." " You're disappointed?" " War?" "Yes, yes..." "War again." "You'll be a free man, back with your troop tomorrow." " Good." " l imagined you'd think so." "So I have brought:" "Two bottles." "One corkscrew." "And my flute." "Feraud intends to kill you." " ls that what he says?" " Not to me, but...rumour goes round." "Damn him, anyway!" "He's most unreasonable." "The enemies of reason have a blind look." "He has it, don't you think?" "What can I do?" "I have given it some thought." "You cannot fight: one, if you are in different places;" "two, if you are of different rank, it's a breach of discipline;" "and three, if the state is at war." "Duels of nations take absolute precedence." "Therefore, keep away from him, keep ahead of him, put your trust in Bonaparte." "Thank you." "Just before history rolls over it, what was the cause of the duel?" "Are you asking on behalf of the town?" "Call it a light cavalry skirmish." "All in all, I'm far from certain myself." "After six months of hard campaigning, there came an interval of peace." " Hold him, Gabriel." " Are you holding on to the table?" " Richard, is he on the table?" " No, I'm not!" " Got you!" " Left arm." "Double or nothing." " No, I only bet right arm." "Another?" " Yes." " Where's your bet?" " Trust me." " Trust me!" " No!" "Damned muscle never healed properly." "Remember that boudoir soldier in Strasbourg?" "That staff lackey?" "You'll act for me, won't you?" " Armand!" "Armand D'Hubert!" " Laura!" "Hey, Moustache." "My bags." " Now tell me you're married." " Madame, I am entirely at your service." "My dear Armand." "How very gallant." "What a relief!" "Well." "Now I've found you, it would be an act of mercy if you put us both to bed." "Marie-Rose went bald." "She caught the mange in Italy, poor bitch." " How did Jacques respond?" " Never saw it." "He was killed at Marengo." "Simon must still be in Egypt." "And Etienne married that fat girl of his." "And I have received a token of love." "I find that rather daunting." "With this ring, I renounce love." "And make do with you." "You were the one I always wanted." "You..." "You hussar!" " What's this?" " l'll have them driven in deeper, sir." "Why picket horses so near a river?" "They'll be up to their knees in two hours." "Move them to higher ground." "Lieutenant D'Hubert?" "Yes." "You're acquainted with Lieutenant Feraud?" "Yes." " Morning." " Morning." "Are you ready, gentlemen?" "Right, gentlemen." "Sorry." "Gently, gently!" "Just take off his cravat, please." "Easy, now. lt's all right." "Then undo his button." "And we'll see." "Easy..." "Just get this..." "Careful, careful!" "Armand, it was a fair set-to. lt won't hurt your reputation, I can promise you that." "Why not make it up like a couple of good fellows?" "There's no need to bear him a grudge." "All right. I'll shake hands." " Well?" " He can't continue, I'm afraid." "It's quite bad." " Can he continue?" " No, he's unable to." "Gabriel." "Shake hands and forget it." "Whatever he did, you've paid him back." " From all I hear, he's a decent fellow." " Decent!" "Don't expect decency from his kind." "Look at him, lolling about on the ground." "One touch and he's off home to his beloved general." "Next time, D'Hubert!" "You should have made him shake hands with you." "I was flat on my back." "One cannot control one's affairs from that position." "You should have got up." "You weren't dead!" "I wasn't well." "Besides, he'd only have stuck me again." "He was waiting for the chance." " You mean you'd have gone on fighting?" " No question." "It would have been the only honourable thing to do." "What's the matter?" " Going to sneeze." " No, you mustn't!" "You don't have to." "Come on, think of something else." " Describe honour." " Honour?" " Honour." " Honour is..." " Go on, you must!" " lndescribable..." "Unchallengeable..." "All the little girls adore you." "Well, you're a notorious and savage duellist." " Savage." " Notoriously savage!" "And it's rumoured that you live with a savage bitch." "It's a shame he's such an idle brute." "One more duel, and God knows he needs the exercise, one more duel would make his reputation." "Young ladies would take smelling salts whenever he narrowed his eyes." "Narrow your eyes." "I think you have a long way to go." "Armand!" "We could leave by the back lane." "What for?" "If he wants me, he'll find me." "You know him?" "Yes." "Surely there is some other way out." "Don't talk about it any more." "The only way out is to go through with it." "One has to be ready." "It takes all one's attention to be ready." "Where is Gabriel Feraud?" "Thank you, thank you." "Yes?" "Gabriel Feraud." "Gabriel." "I live with Armand D'Hubert." "I knew a man stabbed to death by a woman: the surprise of his life." "I once knew a woman who was beaten to death by a man." "I don't think it surprised her at all." "You're a soldier's lady." "You should live here with me." "Nobody understands why you fight with Armand." "It's supposed to be a secret between the pair of you." "I believe it's a secret of your very own." "I believe you feed your spite on him, with no more sense than a nasty, bloodsucking louse." "Who do you suppose cares what you think?" " No one." " Then why are you here?" "I came to take a look at you." "Look." " Do you remember Martin?" " The gunnery sergeant who lost his arm." "He's out of the army now." "He works at the ordinance factory in Rouen." "I think he wants to marry me." " He sent me the ring." " What ring?" " This ring." " Oh, that ring." "Marry him." "When I'm ready." "I was told I might find Lieutenant D'Hubert here." "Not here." "On the watch, sir." "Always on the watch." "They don't all fight like fine gentlemen." "The Two of Swords, reversed." "Strife without reason, a quarrel pursued for its own sake." "Does this suggest your problem?" "Seven of Cups." "It would seem that you must make a difficult choice." "The moon." "The moon is a symbol of solitude." "Here is the path you must take." "It is the path of instinct." "Everyone who travels on that path travels alone." "Between the two dogs." "Do I leave them both behind?" "You must answer your own questions now." "You're alone." " Quickly." "Break it up." " Gently." "I'm not hurt!" "Are they dying?" "The General will see you now, sir." "Sit down, before you fall down." "Your colonel speaks highly of you." "I found you quite useful, too." "Yet in contact with Feraud you persistently behave like a wild beast." "Why is that?" "Do you wish to reconvene an inquiry?" " Certainly not." "No time." " lt's a crucial point of honour." "I cannot speak freely of the conduct of Lieutenant Feraud, if he has no chance to put his own case." "Claptrap." "Sir, I cannot fight the man three times and then tell tales on him." "Judging by the look of you, a change of tactics is what you need." "Very well." "Convention allows you to be a chivalrous halfwit, but you won't be a quarrelsome halfwit." "You'll fight no more duels under my command." "Understood?" "Yes, sir." "Since you're now a captain, it would be a gross breach of discipline." "Your colonel sees you fit to command a troop. I'm not sure what you're fit for." "But I will not oppose his decision." "If you feel strong enough, you may leave now." "Five years passed." "The map of Europe changed, and so did military fashion." " Another time, then?" " No!" " Buy me a drink, darling?" " Next time." "Gilles." "You look mumpish." "Cheer up." "I have news for you." "Sit down." "I have news to tell you." "The 7th Hussars have come to Lubeck." "Feraud is behind you." "I'm sorry, I..." " Can you make out his rank?" " Captain." "Damn!" "Perhaps, for your sake, you should face him now." "How can you avoid it?" "He'll hunt you out in the end." "Keep your head down." "This is my news:" "I'm being seconded to the staff of Marshal Bernadotte." "My appointment carries the rank of major." "I'm to report for duty in a fortnight and I've been granted a fortnight's leave." "Gilles. I wish to consult you, in the utmost confidence, upon a fine point of honour." "Goodbye, Major." "Don't I know you well, eh?" " D'Hubert?" " That's right." "Armand D'Hubert!" "Armand!" "Laura." "I come to Lubeck and the town is humming with your name." "Why weren't you killed at Elchingen?" "That was my last news of you." "It was a hard day for the Regiment." "But nothing cures a duellist." "How was Martin?" "More news gone astray:" "He died of typhus, in the epidemic last July." "I'm very sorry." " Were you married?" "I never heard." " Yes." "Right at the end, poor boy, for all the good it did." "Widow's weeds aren't much help to a lady of the garrison." "So now I beg and strike up friendships." "Laura, go back to France." "There's only grief to be got from following soldiers." "Martin said..." "He said, "Go to that fool Armand." "He'll take you on again."" "This time he'll kill you." " We thought on horseback." " On horseback?" "As a compliment to the Cavalry." "Feraud has agreed." "The Regiment expects it." "The Regiment expects it?" "I see." "We're now duelling as a compliment to the Cavalry." "Armand." "Like it or not, you are a man of reputation." "A famous fire-eater." "It brings responsibilities." "You must think of yourself as fighting on parade." "Feraud has been boasting all day." "But the betting still holds at even money." "I'm going to be killed." "Responsibly, on horseback." "As a compliment to the Cavalry." "That's a useless sort of talk." "Gilles." "I'm not fanatical enough to persevere in this absurdity." " lf he so desires to kill me, he will." " Damn it." "Kill him!" "It's absurd." " Morning." " Morning." "The combat should be well attended." "I hear that LeBrun has given a breakfast party." "I hope the weather improves for them." "Gentlemen!" "Prepare to advance." "Charge!" "Captain Feraud has taken a slight cut." "Until the blood has stopped, he can't see." "I regret the duel must be discontinued." "Feraud was posted to Spain." "D'Hubert remained in northern Europe." "Six years later, the Emperor's Grand Army regrouped for Armageddon." "Listen!" "All of you." "That wood stinks with Cossacks." "I want some volunteers." "Listen!" "Volunteers..." "All of you!" "Volunteers!" "I'll come with you." "Pistols next time?" "By tomorrow, we should be across the Niemen." "But I think we can risk a little celebration." "Schnapps?" "Did you ever speak to Napoleon?" "I once delivered him an important message." "Did he say thank you?" "I suppose he did." "It was very noisy at the time." "Was it right to send him to Elba?" "He couldn't share a palace with King Louis, could he?" " Why not?" " Gilles!" "Hilaire!" "Go on." "How is your leg today?" "Progress is slow." "Come." "Sit and rest here." "There." "I have plans for you." "Leonie, my life is yours." "I want to be known as "the old General who lives with his sister"." "That is exactly what I feared." "It is therefore my aim to see you married as soon as decently possible." "Keep quiet and pay attention." "The heiress from the estate across the river is a sweet child called Adele." "Her parents are dead and her uncle is a dear friend of mine." "It will be the easiest thing in the world to arrange and will suit you admirably." "I know you're thinking she's an ugly girl who'll make you miserable." "I assure you, she is far more beautiful than you deserve, and she will make you very happy." "You are at liberty to speak." "What colour is her hair?" "Raven-coloured." "I have no further questions at this time." "I'm looking for the Chevalier de Rivarol." "General D'Hubert, I believe." "I've not hitherto been privileged to meet a general of Bonaparte's army." "General of a brigade, sir." "And only recently promoted." "A mere imp of Satan, not one of his demons." " You jest with me, sir." " ln a neighbourly way." "Let me make you a pair of boots, in a neighbourly way." "I would esteem it an honour." "Good boots are not an honour, they're a pleasure." "When you were learning to be a soldier, I was learning to make boots." "I have supported myself as a bootmaker." "Now I'm an aristocrat once more, I have to drum up trade." "Sloth is the curse of the aristocracy." "The Chevalier found you vastly well-bred." "He said you had a very good leg." "I sound like a horse." "My God, I'm lucky he didn't look at my teeth!" "I do hate that swearing." "Don't you dare do it in front of Adele." " Have you seen her?" " No." "Yes, you have." "Don't sulk, you have!" "Isn't marriage-broking a little out of fashion?" "Nothing sensible goes out of fashion." "They're all coming over tomorrow from Valmassique." "Meddle, meddle, meddle." "Nonsense." "General D'Hubert..." "Mademoiselle de Valmassique." "Let me have a look at him." "A very handsome fellow." "They have golden eyes." " And jewels inside their heads." " So I believe." "Were I a young man again, rather than an old, lame creature, I'd ask you to marry me." "Well, don't you want to marry me now?" "My dear, we both know what's expected of us, don't we?" "If I were to neglect to make you a proposal, no blame would attach to you." "And I think perhaps you might be saved from a sad, dull life." "If you neglect to make me a proposal, my uncle will go mad." "Damn it, you are not on this earth to coddle your uncle." "I have heard you swear most terribly." "Nonsense. I'm a temperate man." "Temperate in my speech... I love you." "Adele..." "My dearest Adele." "It would make me very happy, happy beyond all expectation, if you would do me the honour to become my wife." "Yes." " lt was a fiasco." " Nonsense." "She accepted you." " What else could she do?" " Nothing, I should hope." "It was a proper, settled arrangement." "Oh, Armand. ln marriage, events of that kind are not important." "A good marriage settles down quietly, like moss." "I've never heard a bad word said about moss." "Moss!" "Leonie, an unkind plot has been laid against her." "Very well, if she's good and biddable, she'll settle down." "But it's not fair." "She's young." "She has that magic." "You are in love." " Yes, I'm in love." " Well, then." "I can't be bothered with you." "Go and play billiards." "No cheating." "Go and play billiards." "Surely, you will not turn down the opportunity of a brigade?" "The Emperor is our hope and strength." "We belong to him." "I have entertained the notion that I may belong to myself." "It has been said that you do not love the Emperor." "By whom?" "By General Feraud." "He knows you well, I believe." "General Feraud has made attempts to kill me." "That doesn't mean he can claim my acquaintance." "It is also said he fought you in defence of the Emperor's honour." "That is impertinent trash." "You have my answer to Marshal Grouchy. I shall write to confirm at once." "Good day." "Colonel, do you sometimes meet with General Feraud?" "Now and again, sir." "Then ask him what the honour of the Emperor has to do with Mme de Lionne." "Madame de Lionne?" "I think that was her name." "He should remember." "Tell him to drive on." " Damn his impudence!" " That was the lady's name, sir." "Madame de Lionne." "Yes." "Get your backside off that table." "A fine, cultivated woman." "She had nothing to do with the Emperor." "I do not believe the General was suggesting an illicit acquaintance between the Emperor and this woman." "Then what was he suggesting?" "Well, what?" "Out with it." "Sir, I took him to imply that this lady, not the Emperor, was the prime cause of your quarrel." "I have called him out half a dozen times." "The Cavalry knows it." "Would I have done that for some such petty nonsense?" "She was a lady I held in high esteem." "Her salon was very well known in Strasbourg." "Yes, now I recall something else." "He said to me, in the public street, I have it burnt in my mind, he said, "For all I care, they can spit upon Napoleon Bonaparte."" " Who?" " They, they!" "When did the Emperor not have enemies?" "D'Hubert's a turncoat." "And I say more, I say he never loved the Emperor." "Never!" "He saw a fair deal of campaigning." "When you meet him again, tell him I'll prove it, at the first opportunity." "To the Emperor." "Good luck to him and to those that love him." "But in less than a hundred days, Napoleon was defeated." "And I offer you another toast." "Let us give thanks for the safe return of His Sacred Majesty, Louis xviii." " God save the King." " God save the King." "And the Devil take the Ogre to St Helena." "This side of the grave, it seems a fit and proper place for him." "Come, sir." "You're a royalist now, like the rest of us." "Where else would you wish him to be?" "One celebration at a time, sir." "Don't you think?" "No, I do not." "The boy's a royalist." "I could give you more good news:" "He has been summoned to attend upon Marshal Saint-Cyr, in Paris." "He will have a command in the King's army." "So, tell us." "What fate would you choose for the Ogre?" "I believe the Emperor chose his own fate." "It was his habit to do so." "I learnt my trade in his service, as did Marshal Saint-Cyr." "The King's army will have more realists than royalists." "I have just agreed to terms with this lady, and I'm much too tired for further questioning." " Well done!" " Bravo!" "Good day, Colonel." " D'Hubert, isn't it?" " That's right." "You took care to play safe." "Very spruce you look, too." "Very tame and spruce." "Found a nice place with His Majesty?" "Gabriel Feraud was right..." "Poor devil." "He always said you were a slippery fellow." " How is General Feraud?" " You don't know?" "It interests me very little." "And in fact I do not know." "Feraud was arrested." "They have him on the Butcher's list." " He's before the Special Commission?" " Yes." "Now there was a man that would ride straight at anything." "Ends up at the mercy of that sewer rat Fouche." "He's as good as dead." "Come a little closer, please." "I'm all attention." "I believe your Excellency has a list of officers to be tried for treason?" "I am the president of the commission that chose them, yes." "I've come to petition that the name of Gabriel Feraud be removed from that list." "I have letters of introduction from Marshals Saint-Cyr and MacDonald." "Do you, indeed?" "By all accounts, he is a rabid Bonapartist." "So was every trooper and grenadier in the army, as your Excellency knows." "General Feraud hasn't the brains to make himself dangerous, rather he could not conceivably hurt the state." "He has a busy tongue." "He talked himself onto our list." "We could not keep him off it." "I am something of a virtuoso in survival." "You will be aware of that, I think." "Besides, I despise these nobodies who offer their neck to the block." "The list is in my control. lf it were not, my own name would certainly be on it." "Our new masters and their ladies, bless them, are out for a deal of blood." "Please be seated." "You have an honest soldier's face, General, but you have come here to intrigue with me, is that not so?" "Have you not come here to intrigue with me?" "is this fellow a relation of yours?" "No." " An intimate friend?" " No, not exactly." "We've had a..." "long association." "Most mysterious." "Still, you have two Marshals at your back." "Yes, there's your man." "Feraud, Gabriel Florian." "He will live in the provinces, under police supervision, you realise that, of course." "But he will live." "Take a pen, dear fellow." "Cross out the name. I can't do everything!" "Your Excellency, I beg you to keep my interference secret, particularly from General Feraud." "General Feraud, alive or dead, is not worth a moment's gossip." "There." "Give me your hand." "Sir...kick for the General." "Perfect discipline." "That's not a grenadier." "Most ladylike, I assure you." "He's not kicking you." "General!" "Fellow in the Cavalry, you called out several times." "D'Hubert, wasn't it?" "General D'Hubert, who has been on sick leave in the South, is to take command of the Fifth Cavalry Brigade at Rheims." "Same fellow, isn't it?" "Good day." " Good day." " Good day." "Sir, I wonder, could you direct us to the residence of General Armand D'Hubert?" "What do you want with him?" "We want a quiet word, confidential you understand." "This place is quiet enough." " You aren't the General, are you, sir?" " Yes, sir. I am." "Thought so." "Met you once, after Ratisbon." "All we need for the present are the names of your friends." " What friends?" " We are friends of General Feraud." "We'll need to work pretty sharp:" "police surveillance." "They keep us bottled up at Vatan, damn their eyes." "Slip out, slip back." "No one the wiser." " Risky, but..." "Honour before everything." " Honour first." "I could have you both carted back where you come from in irons." "I swear to God, I could only whisper, and you'd both be dead in a ditch before morning." "This is royalist country." "This is my home." "We'd assumed that you were a gentleman." "Yes, damn you." "Damn you, I am!" "Very well, then." "We'd like to know the names of your friends." "I have no friends stupid enough to take part in such a farce." "I suppose, I could act for him." "He could act for you." "Not what you'd call a steady fellow." "Used to take a steady fellow to command a brigade." "I don't suppose General Feraud would accept an apology?" "Out of the question." "You could declare yourself unfit and resign your command, that might do." "It wouldn't do." "The General has received too deep an injury." "I see." "I will meet you, tomorrow at sunrise, here." " Sabres, whatever you choose." " Pistols." "Pistols?" "Are you coming to bed now?" "I shall be late. I have some work to do." "My dear boy. I'm very sorry." "Did I disturb you?" "No, I was awake." "I promised these for tomorrow morning." "A tradesman has to keep his word." " You ought not to tire yourself." " l'm an old man." "I wake at odd times, sleep at odd times." "But you shouldn't be up." " ls something the matter?" " No." "I have work to do before morning, to keep my word." " May I?" " Yes, do." " Goodnight." " Goodnight." " Good day, sir." " Good day to you." " Poor ground, not suitable at all." " lt will do." "We came here to kill each other." "Any ground is suitable for that." "I suggest we enter the ruin from opposite sides, alone, and seek each other out." "Two shots each." "Fire at will. ls it agreed?" "I'll consult the officer for General Feraud." " Everyone heard me." " Yes!" "I heard you." "Which side?" "East side, General." "Forward." "Sir, I must own myself at a loss." "I'm not fanatical enough to persevere in this absurdity." "Go on, kill me!" "Now!" "Now!" "is he dead?" "Where have you been?" " l was so worried!" " l'm sorry." "I had to work late and..." "then I went for a walk." "What's in the bag?" "You have kept me at your beck and call for 1 5 years." "I shall never again do what you demand of me." "By every rule of combat, your life now belongs to me." "is that not correct?" "Then I shall simply declare you dead." "In all dealings with me, you'll conduct yourself as a dead man." "I have submitted to your notions of honour long enough." "You will now submit to mine."