第26章

’Leavetheroom，orgotohell!’shoutedCaptainN——；atthesametimeseizingtheastoundedwaiterbytheshoulder，hehurledhimheadlongintothepassage，andflungthedoortowithacrashthatshookthewalls。’Sir，’continuedhe，addressinghimselftoO’Mara，’Ididnothopetohavemetyouuntilto-morrow。

Fortunehasbeenkindtome——draw，anddefendyourself。’

Atthesametimehedrewhissword，andplacedhimselfinanattitudeofattack。

’IwillnotdrawuponYOU，’saidO’Mara。

’Ihave，indeed，wrongedyou。Ihavegivenyoujustcauseforresentment；butagainstyourlifeIwillneverliftmyhand。’

’Youareacoward，sir，’repliedCaptainN——，withalmostfrightfulvehemence，’aseverytricksterandswindlerIS。Youareacontemptibledastard——adespicable，damnedvillain!Drawyoursword，sir，anddefendyourlife，oreverypostandpillarinthistownshalltellyourinfamy。’

’Perhaps，’saidhisfriend，withasneer，’thegentlemancandobetterwithouthishonourthanwithouthiswife。’

’Yes，’shoutedthecaptain，’hiswife——

atrull——acommon——’

’Silence，sir!’criedO’Mara，allthefiercenessofhisnaturerousedbythislastinsult——’yourobjectisgained；yourbloodbeuponyourownhead。’Atthesametimehesprangacrossabenchwhichstoodinhisway，andpushingasidethetablewhichsupportedthelights，inaninstanttheirswordscrossed，andtheywereengagedincloseanddeadlystrife。

CaptainN——wasfarthestrongerofthetwo；but，ontheotherhand，O’Marapossessedfarmoreskillintheuseofthefatalweaponwhichtheyemployed。Butthenarrownessoftheroomrenderedthisadvantagehardlyavailable。

AlmostinstantlyO’Marareceivedaslightwoundupontheforehead，which，thoughlittlemorethanascratch，bledsofastastoobstructhissightconsiderably。

Thosewhohaveusedthefoilcantellhowslightaderangementofeyeorofhandissufficienttodetermineacontestofthiskind；andthisknowledgewillpreventtheirbeingsurprisedwhenIsay，that，spiteofO’Mara’ssuperiorskillandpractice，hisadversary’sswordpassedtwicethroughandthroughhisbody，andhefellheavilyandhelplesslyuponthefloorofthechamber。

Withoutsayingaword，thesuccessfulcombatantquittedtheroomalongwithhiscompanion，leavingDwyertoshiftasbesthemightforhisfallencomrade。

Withtheassistanceofsomeofthewonderingmenialsoftheplace，Dwyersucceededinconveyingthewoundedmanintoanadjoiningroom，wherehewaslaiduponabed，inastateborderinguponinsensibility——thebloodflowing，ImightsayWELLING，fromthewoundssofastastoshowthatunlessthebleedingwerespeedilyandeffectuallystopped，hecouldnotliveforhalfanhour。

Medicalaidwas，ofcourse，instantlyprocured，andColonelO’Mara，thoughatthetimeseriouslyindisposed，wasurgentlyrequestedtoattendwithoutlossoftime。

Hedidso；buthumansuccourandsupportwerealltoolate。Thewoundhadbeentrulydealt——thetideoflifehadebbed；

andhisfatherhadnotarrivedfiveminuteswhenyoungO’Marawasacorpse。HisbodyrestsinthevaultsofChristChurch，inDublin，withoutastonetomarkthespot。

Thecounselsofthewickedarealwaysdark，andtheirmotivesoftenbeyondfathoming；andstrange，unaccountable，incredibleasitmayseem，Idobelieve，andthatuponevidencesoclearastoamountalmosttodemonstration，thatHeathcote’svisittoDublin——hisbetrayalofthesecret——andthefinalandterriblecatastrophewhichlaidO’Marainthegrave，werebroughtaboutbynootheragentthanDwyerhimself。

Ihavemyselfseentheletterwhichinducedthatvisit。ThehandwritingisexactlywhatIhaveseeninotherallegedspecimensofDwyer’spenmanship。ItiswrittenwithanaffectationofhonestalarmatO’Mara’sconduct，andexpressesaconvictionthatifsomeofLadyEmily’sfamilybenotinformedofO’Mara’srealsituation，nothingcouldpreventhisconcludingwithheranadvantageousalliance，thenuponthetapis，andaltogetherthrowingoffhisallegiancetoEllen——astepwhich，asthewritercandidlyasserted，wouldfinallyconduceasinevitablytohisowndisgraceasitimmediatelywouldtoherruinandmisery。

TheproductionwasformallysignedwithDwyer’sname，andthepostscriptcontainedastrictinjunctionofsecrecy，assertingthatifitwereascertainedthatsuchanepistl