THE LETTER TO CHARLES.--THE QUARREL.--THE ADMIRAL'S NARRATIVE.--THE
MIDNIGHT MEETING. [Illustration]

It was Charles Holland who now advanced hurriedly to meet the admiral. The young man's manner was anxious. He was evidently most intent upon
knowing what answer could be sent by Sir Francis Varney to his
challenge. "Uncle," he said, "tell me at once, will he meet me? You can talk of
particulars afterwards, but now tell me at once if he will meet me?" "Why, as to that," said the admiral, with a great deal of fidgetty
hesitation, "you see, I can't exactly say." "Not say!" "No. He's a very odd fish. Don't you think he's a very odd fish, Jack
Pringle'?" "Ay, ay, sir." "There, you hear, Charles, that Jack is of my opinion that your opponent
is an odd fish." "But, uncle, why trifle with my impatience thus? Have you seen Sir
Francis Varney?" "Seen him. Oh, yes." "And what did he say?" "Why, to tell the truth, my lad, I advise you not to fight with him at
all." "Uncle, is this like you? This advice from you, to compromise my honour,
after sending a man a challenge?" "D--n it all, Jack, I don't know how to get out of it," said the
admiral. "I tell you what it is, Charles, he wants to fight with swords;
and what on earth is the use of your engaging with a fellow who has been
practising at his weapon for more than a hundred years?" "Well, uncle, if any one had told me that you would be terrified by this
Sir Francis Varney into advising me not to fight, I should have had no
hesitation whatever in saying such a thing was impossible." "I terrified?" "Why, you advise me not to meet this man, even after I have challenged
him." "Jack," said the admiral, "I can't carry it on, you see. I never could
go on with anything that was not as plain as an anchor, and quite
straightforward. I must just tell all that has occurred." "Ay, ay, sir. The best way." "You think so, Jack?" "I know it is, sir, always axing pardon for having a opinion at all,
excepting when it happens to be the same as yourn, sir." "Hold your tongue, you libellous villain! Now, listen to me, Charles. I
got up a scheme of my own." Charles gave a groan, for he had a very tolerable appreciation of his
uncle's amount of skill in getting up a scheme of any kind or
description. "Now here am I," continued the admiral, "an old hulk, and not fit for
use anymore. What's the use of me, I should like to know? Well, that's
settled. But you are young and hearty, and have a long life before you. Why should you throw away your life upon a lubberly vampyre?" "I begin to perceive now, uncle," said Charles, reproachfully, "why you,
with such apparent readiness, agreed to this duel taking place." "Well, I intended to fight the fellow myself, that's the long and short
of it, boy." "How could you treat me so?" "No nonsense, Charles. I tell you it was all in the family. I intended
to fight him myself. What was the odds whether I slipped my cable with
his assistance, or in the regular course a little after this? That's the
way to argufy the subject; so, as I tell you, I made up my mind to fight
him myself." Charles looked despairingly, but said,--

"What was the result?" "Oh, the result! D--n me, I suppose that's to come. The vagabond won't
fight like a Christian. He says he's quite willing to fight anybody that
calls him out, provided it's all regular." "Well--well." "And he, being the party challenged--for he says he never himself
challenges anybody, as he is quite tired of it--must have his choice of
weapons." "He is entitled to that; but it is generally understood now-a-days that
pistols are the weapons in use among gentlemen for such purposes." "Ah, but he won't understand any such thing, I tell you. He will fight
with swords." "I suppose he is, then, an adept at the use of the sword?" "He says he is." "No doubt--no doubt. I cannot blame a man for choosing, when he has the
liberty of choice, that weapon in the use of which he most particularly,
from practice, excels." "Yes; but if he be one half the swordsman he has had time enough,
according to all accounts, to be, what sort of chance have you with
him?" "Do I hear you reasoning thus?" "Yes, to be sure you do. I have turned wonderfully prudent, you see: so
I mean to fight him myself, and mind, now, you have nothing whatever to
do with it." "An effort of prudence that, certainly." "Well, didn't I say so?" "Come--come, uncle, this won't do. I have challenged Sir Francis Varney,
and I must meet him with any weapon he may, as the challenged party,
choose to select. Besides, you are not, I dare say, aware that I am a
very good fencer, and probably stand as fair a chance as Varney in a
contest with swords." "Indeed!" "Yes, uncle. I could not be so long on the continent as I have been
without picking up a good knowledge of the sword, which is so popular
all over Germany." "Humph! but only consider, this d----d fellow is no less than a hundred
and fifty years old." "I care not." "Yes, but I do." "Uncle, uncle, I tell you I will fight with him; and if you do not
arrange matters for me so that I can have the meeting with this man,
which I have myself sought, and cannot, even if I wished, now recede
from with honour, I must seek some other less scrupulous friend to do
so." "Give me an hour or two to think of it, Charles," said the admiral. "Don't speak to any one else, but give me a little time. You shall have
no cause of complaint. Your honour cannot suffer in my hands." "I will wait your leisure, uncle; but remember that such affairs as
these, when once broached, had always better be concluded with all
convenient dispatch." "I know that, boy--I know that." The admiral walked away, and Charles, who really felt much fretted at
the delay which had taken place, returned to the house. He had not been there long, when a lad, who had been temporarily hired
during the morning by Henry to answer the gate, brought him a note,
saying,--

"A servant, sir, left this for you just now." "For me?" said Charles, as he glanced at the direction. "This is
strange, for I have no acquaintance about here. Does any one wait?" "No, sir." The note was properly directed to him, therefore Charles Holland at once
opened it. A glance at the bottom of the page told him that it came from
his enemy, Sir Francis Varney, and then he read it with much eagerness. It ran thus:--

     "SIR,--Your uncle, as he stated himself to be, Admiral Bell, was
     the bearer to me, as I understood him this day, of a challenge
     from you. Owing to some unaccountable hallucination of intellect,
     he seemed to imagine that I intended to set myself up as a sort
     of animated target, for any one to shoot at who might have a
     fancy so to do. "According to this eccentric view of the case, the admiral had
     the kindness to offer to fight me first, when, should he not have
     the good fortune to put me out of the world, you were to try your
     skill, doubtless. "I need scarcely say that I object to these family arrangements.