The Grip of Honor. Brady Cyrus Townsend
with well-simulated gayety.
"'Tis a poor place for a sailor, then," he replied gravely, in no mood for badinage, "and I fear few of them will get there."
Price, who had followed his officer's example with the maid, now stepped up to him for his orders, necessarily interrupting the conversation.
"Price," he said to that intrepid old sailor, "you may go back to the boat and shove off, and keep her under the lee of that little point until I call you. Keep a sharp lookout, too."
"Ay, ay, sir," said the old sailor, turning to fulfil the command.
"Now I suppose the time has come for me to say good-bye to Lieutenant O'Neill," said Elizabeth.
"Oh, not yet, Miss Howard; I cannot leave you here alone until I know that you are safe."
"But your duty, sir?"
"A gentleman's, a sailor's, first duty is always toward a helpless woman, especially if she is-
"His prisoner, you would say, I suppose?" she said, interrupting hastily. That was not at all what he had intended to say, but he let it pass.
"You know who is prisoner, now and forever, Miss Howard."
"If you refer to Lieutenant O'Neill, I will release him now and forever as well, at once, sir," she said archly.
"You cannot."
"As you will, sir," she replied; "but as I happen to see several horsemen coming down the road yonder, I imagine you will not be detained from your ship a very long time. Let us go forward to meet them; perhaps they can give us some information."
The horsemen, evidently an officer and two orderlies who were galloping toward the beach, at this moment noticed the boat party and probably the Ranger itself. They reined in their horses at once, and the officer apparently gave some directions to one of the others, for he saluted, turned his horse about in the road, and galloped rapidly back in the direction of the castle. The officer then trotted hastily forward, followed by the remaining man, and looking intently ahead of him until he reached the vicinity of the little group, he dismounted, and handing the bridle to the soldier, bade him wait where he was. He came forward fearlessly, with one hand on his sword, the other holding a pistol which he had taken from the holster. He was a young and handsome man in a new and brilliant scarlet uniform.
CHAPTER V
Swords are Crossed on the Sand
"Lady Elizabeth, you here?" he exclaimed, stopping short in great surprise, when he was near enough to recognize them. "What is the meaning of this?" He stood a moment as if petrified, and then came nearer. "Who is this person?" he demanded imperiously. Elizabeth started violently.
"Major Coventry! Edward!" she cried.
"Are you a 'Lady,' madam?" said O'Neill, in equal surprise, addressing the astonished girl and paying no attention to the officer.
"For what else do you take her, sir?" interrupted the officer, bristling with indignation.
"Faith, sir, I would take her 'for better or worse,' an I could," replied the Irishman, smiling.
"Unfortunately for you, that is a privilege I propose to exercise myself," said the Englishman, sternly.
"The world will doubtless share my regret, sir," said the Irishman, audaciously, a bitter pang in his breast at this unlooked for news.
"Now I wish to know who you are and how you come here and what you are doing, – an explanation, sir!" asked the officer.
"I am not accustomed to give explanations save to those who have the right to demand them," replied O'Neill.
"I have two rights, sir."
"They are?"
"First, I am betrothed to this young lady," said the officer. "Second, this," laying his hand upon his sword.
"Either of these may be sufficient from your point of view, neither of them from mine. As to the first, I refer you to the young lady herself: I will have it from her own lips, or not at all; as to the second, you will see I have a similar right of my own."
"Will you, Lady Elizabeth," said the young officer, addressing her formally, "have the goodness to inform me how you came here and who this person is, or shall I force the knowledge from him?"
"If you wish him to have the information, Miss Howard, you would, I think, better give it him. Otherwise I do not see how he is to get it," said O'Neill, grimly, his dark face flushing with anger.
"This gentleman," said the girl, faintly, pointing to the officer, "is Major Edward Coventry, the son of my guardian, Admiral Westbrooke."
"And your betrothed, Elizabeth; you forget that," added Coventry.
"I almost wish I could," she replied sharply, gathering courage. "You remind me of it too constantly for it to be pleasant, and at no time so inopportunely as at the present."
The Englishman, in great astonishment and perturbation, opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the quicker Irishman.
"Why so, Mistress Howard?"
"Lady Elizabeth, if you please, sir," said Coventry.
"Lady Elizabeth, then. I thank you, sir, for the reminder," answered O'Neill, suavely. "Your friends on the Ranger are all interested in your welfare, and I am sure they are glad in my person to meet with and congratulate the fortunate gentleman who aspires to your hand." He smiled bitterly at her as he spoke.
"Will you tell me or not, Lady Elizabeth, who this person is and how you came here?" said Coventry, impatiently, with mounting choler at all this by-play.
"This is a lieutenant of the American Continental ship Ranger, Captain John Paul Jones-
"The d-d, murdering pirate!" exclaimed Coventry, hotly.
"Stop!" cried O'Neill, stepping forward with his hand upon his sword. "You shall neither swear before a lady, nor shall you in this scandalous manner disparage the ship of which I have the honor to be the first lieutenant, nor asperse the character of her captain. Withdraw your words, or you shall answer to me with that which hangs by your side."
"I fight only with gentlemen," said Coventry, coldly.
"My custom," replied O'Neill, promptly, "is in the main the same as your own; but I sometimes make exceptions, which I am willing to do in this instance. I require you immediately, instantly, to apologize to me for your remarks."
"And if I refuse?"
"I shall strike them down your throat with my hand."
"'S death, sir! How dare you, a beggarly adventurer, talk thus to me, an officer, a major in the army of his Gracious Majesty King George, a Coventry, a Westbrooke!"
"If you were an angel from heaven 'twould make no difference to me, for I would have you know, sir, that I am of as good a house as-ay, a better than-your own, a descendant of kings-
"An Irishman, I infer?" said Coventry, sneering.
"You are correct, sir, and my people have been chieftains for thirty generations."
"Ah, in Ireland?" The manner of the question made it another insult, but O'Neill restrained himself under the great provocation and answered coldly:
"Where else, sir, and where better? As for me, I am temporarily an officer of yonder ship, the Ranger, flying the flag of the American Republic, but I am a lieutenant in the navy of his Majesty Louis XVI. My father is a marshal of France. Will you draw now?" he cried, stepping forward impetuously.
"A brilliant array of titles surely; pity it lacks other confirmation than your word. I scarcely comprehend the catalogue," replied Coventry, coldly.
"I shall endeavor to enlighten you as to my credibility with this," said O'Neill, drawing his sword. "Now will you fight or not?"
"And if I persist in my refusal?" asked Coventry, who was playing for time.
"At this juncture I shall be under the painful necessity of killing you in the presence of your betrothed, so draw, my dear sir, if not for honor, for-
"What?"
"Life!"
"On