Rex Stout

“ Over at Lampourde's they are already laying wagers, and at the office the talk is of nothing else. They all envy you. Or, at least, they would envy you if—” Bernstein hesitated and looked at Pierre curiously.
“Well?” said Pierre, with an attempt at lightness. “If—”
“Nothing,” said the other quickly. “For, as to that, life itself is a gamble. We must take our chances. And what courage! What glory! What fame! Why, my friend, on the day after tomorrow you can go to old Lispenard and say to him: 'Henceforth I shall expect a thousand francs each for my signed articles.' And what can he do? ”

“ The rear of the Restaurant de la Tour d'Ivoire, which Pierre had selected as his place of retreat during the duel, overlooked the Seine at a point about a hundred yards up the river from this bridge. It was dilapidated, shabby and disrespectable; which was exactly what Pierre desired. What with a garrulous concierge and a prying neighborhood, to have remained in his own rooms would have been hazardous ”

“ Pierre finally rose from his chair with a gesture of approbation.
“Perfect!” he declared, surveying Phillips from head to foot. “I wouldn't know the difference myself.” Opening a purse, he took from it five hundred-franc notes and laid them on the table.
“There is half. And remember, this is the most important of all: after it is over, come at once to the Restaurant de la Tour d'Ivoire. There you will change your garments and become Monsieur Phillips again, and I will pay the remainder. It will be difficult, for they will insist on accompanying you, but you must manage it somehow.” ”

“ But I believe you are not the right man.”
“Then why did you come?”
“Would you care to earn a thousand francs?” asked Pierre after a moment's reflection.
Monsieur Phillips betrayed his first sign of interest. “My dear sir,” he replied, “there are very few things in this world I would not undertake for a thousand francs.”
“That is well,” said Pierre. “But before we proceed further, can you shoot—with the pistol?”
The other frowned and glanced up quickly. “Better than anyone else in Paris,” he announced. “But I have said that there are a few—”
“It is an affair of honor,” Pierre interrupted. ”

“ Thus, with his brain whirling madly, he sat and pretended to listen to Bernstein, who rattled on endlessly about Lamon, the gossip of the boulevards, the latest news of the profession. Pierre heard not a word; and a half-hour later, when Bernstein was called away by an appointment he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made his way to the street
Someone has said, somewhere, that there are times when it is braver to run than to fight. Let us hope, for Pierre's sake, that the present instance was a case in point ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1975, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 48 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”