"Your right?" said Halibut, with spirit.
"My right!" repeated the other. "I should have been there before you if you had not stopped me in the first place."
"But I started first," said Halibut.
"Prove it," exclaimed the Major, warmly.
The other shrugged his shoulders.
"I shall certainly not give way," he said, calmly. "This is a matter in which my whole future is concerned. It seems very odd, not to say inconvenient, that you should have chosen the same day as myself, Brill, for such an errand-very odd."
"It"s quite an accident," a.s.severated the Major; "as a matter of fact, Halibut, I nearly went yesterday. That alone gives me, I think, some claim to precedence."
"Just so," said Halibut, slowly; "it const.i.tutes an excellent claim."
The Major regarded him with moistening eyes. This was generous and n.o.ble. His opinion of Halibut rose. "And now you have been so frank with me," said the latter, "it is only fair that you should know I started out with the same intention three days ago and found her out. So far as claims go, I think mine leads."
"Pure matter of opinion," said the disgusted Major; "it really seems as though we want an arbitrator. Well, we"ll have to make our call together, I suppose, but I"ll take care not to give you any opportunity, Halibut, so don"t cherish any delusions on that point. Even you wouldn"t have the hardihood to propose before a third party, I should think; but if you do, I give you fair warning that I shall begin, too."
"This is most unseemly," said Halibut. "We"d better both go home and leave it for another day."
"When do you propose going, then?" asked the Major.
"Really, I haven"t made up my mind," replied the other.
The Major shrugged his shoulders.
"It won"t do, Halibut," he said, grimly; "it won"t do. I"m too old a soldier to be caught that way."
There was a long pause. The Major mopped his brow again. "I"ve got it,"
he said at last.
Halibut looked at him curiously.
"We must play for first proposal," said the Major, firmly. "We"re pretty evenly matched."
"Chess?" gasped the other, a whole world of protest in his tones.
"Chess," repeated the Major.
"It is hardly respectful," demurred Halibut. "What do you think the lady would do if she heard of it?"
"Laugh," replied the Major, with conviction.
"I believe she would," said the other, brightening. "I believe she would."
"You agree, then?"
"With conditions."
"Conditions?" repeated the Major.
"One game," said Halibut, speaking very slowly and distinctly; "and if the winner is refused, the loser not to propose until he gives him permission."
"What the deuce for?" inquired the other, suspiciously.
"Suppose I win," replied Halibut, with suspicious glibness, "and was so upset that I had one of my bilious attacks come on, where should I be?
Why, I might have to break off in the middle and go home. A fellow can"t propose when everything in the room is going round and round."
"I don"t think you ought to contemplate marriage, Halibut," remarked the Major, very seriously and gently.
"Thanks," said Halibut, dryly.
"Very well," said the Major, "I agree to the conditions. Better come to my place and we"ll decide it now. If we look sharp, the winner may be able to know his fate to-day, after all."
Halibut a.s.senting, they walked back together. The feverish joy of the gambler showed in the Major"s eye as they drew their chairs up to the little antique chess table and began to place their pieces ready for the fray. Then a thought struck him, and he crossed over to the sideboard.
"If you"re feeling a bit off colour, Halibut," he said, kindly, "you"d better have a little brandy to pull yourself together. I don"t wish to take a mean advantage."
"You"re very good," said the other, as he eyed the n.o.ble measure of liquid poured out by his generous adversary.
"And now to business," said the Major, as he drew himself a little soda from a siphon.
"Now to business," repeated Halibut, rising and placing his gla.s.s on the mantel-piece.
The Major struggled fiercely with his feelings, but, despite himself, a guilty blush lent colour to the other"s unfounded suspicions.
"Remember the conditions," said Halibut, impressively.
"Here"s my hand on it," said the other, reaching over.
Halibut took it, and, his thoughts being at the moment far away, gave it a tender, respectful squeeze. The Major stared and coughed. It was suggestive of practice.
If the history of the duel is ever written, it will be found not unworthy of being reckoned with the most famous combats of ancient times. Piece after piece was removed from the board, and the Major drank gla.s.s after gla.s.s of soda to cool his heated brain. At the second gla.s.s Halibut took an empty tumbler and helped himself. Suddenly there was a singing in the Major"s ears, and a voice, a hateful, triumphant voice, said,
"Checkmate!"
Then did his gaze wander from knight to bishop and bishop to castle in a vain search for succour. There was his king defied by a bishop-a bishop which had been hobn.o.bbing with p.a.w.ns in one corner of the board, and which he could have sworn he had captured and removed full twenty minutes before. He mentioned this impression to Halibut.
"That was the other one," said his foe. "I thought you had forgotten this. I have been watching and hoping so for the last half-hour."
There was no disguising the coa.r.s.e satisfaction of the man. He had watched and hoped. Not beaten him, so the Major told himself, in fair play, but by taking a mean and pitiful advantage of a pure oversight. A sheer oversight. He admitted it.
Halibut rose with a sigh of relief, and the Major, mechanically sweeping up the pieces, dropped them one by one into the box.
"Plenty of time," said the victor, glancing at the clock. "I shall go now, but I should like a wash first."
The Major rose, and in his capacity of host led the way upstairs to his room, and poured fresh water for his foe. Halibut washed himself delicately, carefully tr.i.m.m.i.n.g his hair and beard, and anxiously consulting the Major as to the set of his coat in the back, after he had donned it again.