Too Late

"What brings you into this quarter?" demanded Kingsley. "What
business have you here?"

"We stop here," I said as the carriage drove up. "I have some land
to choose and measure here. Shall we alight, gentlemen?"

I took the pistol-case in my hands and led the way. They followed
me. The carriage remained. We went on together several hundred
yards until I fancied we should be quite safe from interruption.
We were in a dense forest. At a little distance was a small stretch
of tolerably open pine land, which seemed to answer the usual
purposes. Here I paused and confronted them.

"Mr. Kingsley," I said without further preliminaries, "I have
taken the liberty of bringing you here, as the most honorable man
I know, in order that you should witness the adjustment of an affair
of honor between Mr. Edgerton and myself."

As I spoke I unrolled the pistol-case. Edgerton grew pale as death,
but remained silent. Kingsley was evidently astonished, but not so
much so as to forbear the obvious answer.

"How! an affair of honor? Is this inevitable--necessary, Clifford?"

"Absolutely!"

"In no way to be adjusted?"

"In but one! This man has dishonored me in the dearest relations
of my household."

"Ha! can it be?"

"Too true! There is no help for it now. I am dealing with him
still as a man of honor. I should have been justified in shooting
him down like a dog--as one shoots down the reptile that crawls to
the cradle of his children. I give him an equal chance for life."