E-Books Home

With regard
to this alternative, he declined it entirely, because he could not
see what satisfaction he should enjoy in being shot through the
head, or run through the lungs, by a person who had already wronged
him in an irreparable manner. Lastly, his fear made him propose
that the affair should be left to the arbitration of two creditable
men, altogether unconcerned in the dispute.
To these remonstrances Peregrine replied, in the style of a hot-headed
young man, conscious of his own unjustifiable behaviour, that every
gentleman ought to be a judge of his own honour and therefore he
would submit to the decision of no umpire whatsoever; that he would
forgive his want of courage, which might be a natural infirmity,
but his mean dissimulation he could not pardon. That, as he was
certified of the rascally intent of his ambuscade by undoubted
intelligence, he would treat him, not with a retaliation of his
own treachery, but with such indignity as a scoundrel deserves to
suffer, unless he would make one effort to maintain the character
he assumed in life.


Pages:
608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632