Von Reiter stooped, recovered his sword, adjusted the hilt to his hand. He coughed again, and there was a trace of blood on his lips, but his face was dead white. He looked very steadily at Guild.
"Acknowledgments to the Comte d'Yvoir," he said with an effort; and the shadow of a smile touched his thin, grim lips.
Von Reiter started to speak, and suddenly his mouth was full of blood.
"Kurt," cried the girl in an agonized voice, "do you mean to kill him or that he is to kill _you_!--_here_--before my face?"
He sprang at Guild again like a tiger, but Guild was on him first, and the impact hurled von Reiter against the table. His sabre fell clattering to the floor.
[Illustration: "The impact hurled von Reiter against the table"]
For a moment, white as a corpse, he looked at his opponent with sick eyes, then, suddenly faint, he slid into the great leather chair. There was more blood on his lips; Guild, breathing heavily, bent over and looked at him, ignorant of what had happened.
Karen came and took his hand in hers. Then a slight groan escaped him and he opened his eyes.
"I'm a little sick, that's all. I think when I fell some ribs broke--or something----"
"I meant fairly by you," said Guild miserably.
"You played fair. It was bad luck--bad luck--that's all." He closed his pain-sickened eyes: "God, what luck," he mumbled--"really atrocious!"
Guild, still holding his naked sword, drew his automatic with his left hand. Then he looked silently at Karen.
"Can't you leave the house by the garden?" she whispered tremulously.
"Kervyn, they'll kill you if you step out of that door!"
Von Reiter, drowsy with pain, opened his eyes:
"No, they won't," he said. "Be kind enough to speak to my aide. I--I'm afraid I'm rather--ill."
He glanced at Guild: "Honour of an officer," he added weakly.
Karen stepped to the door and flung it open.
A moment later the young hussar aide-de-camp who had escorted Guild to the British lines came clanking in.
He glanced obliquely at Guild and at Karen, but when his eyes fell on von Reiter he stared, astonished. Nevertheless, his spurred heels clicked together at salute.
Von Reiter's eyes became ironical. He looked for a moment at his aide, then his gaze wandered to Karen and to Guild.