"
Even in the gloom Sir Terence caught the flash of Samoval's
white teeth as he smiled.
"You trouble yourself unnecessarily on my account," was the smoothly
ironic answer. "No one has seen me come, and no one is likely to
see me depart."
"You may be sure that no one shall, by God," snapped O'Moy, stung
by the sly insolence of the other's assurance.
"Shall we get to work, then?" Samoval invited.
"If you're set on dying here, I suppose I must be after humouring
you, and make the best of it. As soon as you please, then." O'Moy
was very fierce.
They stepped to the patch of lawn in the middle of the quadrangle,
and there Samoval threw off altogether his cloak and hat. He was
closely dressed in black, which in that light rendered him almost
invisible. Sir Terence, less practised and less calculating in
these matters, wore an undress uniform, the red coat of which showed
greyish. Samoval observed this rather with contempt than with
satisfaction in the advantage it afforded him. Then he removed the
swathing from the swords, and, crossing them, presented the hilts to
Sir Terence. The adjutant took one and the Count retained the other,
which he tested, thrashing the air with it so that it hummed like a
whip.
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