Confession

took place which gave the proceedings a new and not less unpleasing aspect than they had worn before. Mrs. Clifford,

f the members of the bar-who placed a letter in my hands from Mr. Perkins. I read this billet with no small astonishment. It briefly stated that certain reports had reached his ear

ns has been misinformed. I never uttered anything in my life

rkins has his information from the lips of a lady; and, as a lady is not responsible, she can not be allowed t

ere disposed to force their way to recognition by the bully's process, and stung by some recent discouragements, Mr. Perkins was, perhaps, rather glad than otherwise, of the silly, and no less malicious than silly, tattle of Mrs. Clifford for I did not doubt that the gross perversion of the truth which formed the basis of his note, had originated with her, which enabled him to single out a victim, who, as the times went, had suddenly risen

impertinent fellow; and, if you please, ou

en recovering himself, proceeded to re

t delay. My friend, Mr. Perkins, prepared me for some such answer. Oblige me, sir, by re

nd my friend to you in th

in his first spring, the bully, like the tiger, is very apt to slink back to his jungle. His departure gave me a brief opportunity for reflection, in which I slightly turned over in my mind th

s a large and active development, as it must be in an old aristocratic community, such qualities are continually provoking popular hostility. My friends, too, were not of the kind to whom such scrapes as the present were congenia

it, William," w

should not promote or encourage, in another, a prac

William. You certainly should n

ood. Kill Perkins, and it does not prove to him, even if he were then able to hear, that Mrs.

mmunity. Public opinion here approves of this mode of protecting one's self;-may, if I do not avail myself of its agency, the same public opinion would assist my assailant in my expulsion. I fight on the same ground that a nation fights when it goes to war. It is the most obvious and easy mode to protect myself from injury and insult. So long as I submit, Perkins wil

e yourself? Has du

ot recognise invariable results. If it is shown to be the probable, the f

t probable

r deference paid to females, the unfrequency of bullying, the absence of blackguarding, the higher tone of this public press, and of society in general, from which the public press takes its

s arguments had any influent over me. To Frank Kingsley I went, and found him in better mood to take up the cudgels, and even make my cause his own. He was one of those ardent bloods, who liked nothing better than the

I like. If you shoot as quickly now, and as much to t

strange feelings belonging to my situation. In less than two hours after Kingsley brought me the carte, by which I found that the meetin

t, of course?"

the negative,

ve little or no t

m, will never reconcile me to submit to injury or insult. I shall as effectually secure this object by going out, as I do, without preparation, as

gether understand you; but you must certainly ride out with me this afternoon, a

no use

ou should wish

ithout practice. But I

to it, however. Should the first shot be ineffectual and h

iling, I should employ stronger measures; precisely as a nation would do in a similar conflict with another nation. One must not suffer himself to be destroyed or driven into exile. This is the first law of nature-this of self-preservation. In maintaining this law, a

call that

hemselves of both. But see you not that the scalping process, as it produces the most terror and annoyance, is decidedly the most merciful, as being most likely to discour

ofessional business was set in order, and Edgerton duly initiated in the knowledge of all such portions as needed explanation. This done, I sat down and wrote a long farewell letter to Julia, and one, more brief, but renewing the counsel I had previously given to her father, in respect to the suit

light-it was a point of credit with him that we should not delay the opposite party the sixtieth part of a second. We drove out into the country in a close carriage, taking a surgeon-who was a

enough, if he believed the story of Mrs. Clifford-and my scornful answer to his friend, Mr. Carter, was not calculated to lessen the soreness. For my part, I am free to declare, I had not the smallest sentiment of unkindness toward the fellow. I thought little of him, but did not hate-I could not have hated him. I had no wish to do him hurt; and, as already stated, only went out to put a sto

u could do a thing so d--d foolish. The fellow intends to

arrangements. Here some confer

ss must proceed. Was it yet too late to recti

tter was a very lamentable one-to be regretted, and so forth-but of the neces

s friend, Mr. Perkins, that he

knew a man more so

ile the parties?"

his message?" answered Ki

ere any prospect of adjusting the

name the basis for what he es

withdraws h

o objectio

r. Clifford for an explanation of certain lang

ut qualification, the emplo

old ground," said Carter-"

ingsley-"I see no other remedy, Mr. Carter, but that we should

pens, must lie at your door. You are perem

need, sir," replied Kingsl

reference to your own necessity.

antage to Perkins, as his ear was more familiar than mine with the accents of his fri

a whisper, as he withdrew from my side;-"wing h

did not affect my shot. This, I purposely threw away. The skill of my enemy did not correspondend (sic) with his evident desires. I was hurt, but very slightly. His bullet merely raised the skin upon the fleshy part of my right thigh. We kept our places while a conference ensued between t

w away your fire; and he will play the same game with you, on the same terms, for a month together, Sundays not excepted. I am not willing to stand by and se

wil

omise m

d

was stung and irritated by it, and the pertinacity of my enemy, particularly as he must have seen that my shot was thrown away, decided me to punish him if I could. I did so! I was not conscious that I was hurt myself, until I saw him falling!-I then felt a heavy and numbing sensation in the same thigh which had been touched before. A faintness relieved me from present sensibility, and when I became conscious, I found myself in the carriage, supported by Kingsley and the surgeon, on my way to my lodgings. My wound was a flesh wound only; the ball wa