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第12节

the return of tarzan-第12节

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you again I shall not be so lenient。〃



Rokoff picked up a pen and commenced to write。



〃See that you omit no detail; and that you mention every

name;〃 cautioned Tarzan。



Presently there was a knock at the door。  〃Enter;〃 said Tarzan。



A dapper young man came in。  〃I am from the MATIN;〃

he announced。  〃I understand that Monsieur Rokoff has

a story for me。〃



〃Then you are mistaken; monsieur;〃 replied Tarzan。

〃You have no story for publication; have you; my dear Nikolas。〃



Rokoff looked up from his writing with an ugly scowl

upon his face。



〃No;〃 he growled; 〃I have no story for publicationnow。〃



〃Nor ever; my dear Nikolas;〃 and the reporter did not see

the nasty light in the ape…man's eye; but Nikolas Rokoff did。



〃Nor ever;〃 he repeated hastily。



〃It is too bad that monsieur has been troubled;〃 said Tarzan;

turning to the newspaper man。  〃I bid monsieur good

evening;〃 and he bowed the dapper young man out of the

room; and closed the door in his face。



An hour later Tarzan; with a rather bulky manuscript in his

coat pocket; turned at the door leading from Rokoff's room。



〃Were I you I should leave France;〃 he said; 〃for sooner

or later I shall find an excuse to kill you that will not in

any way compromise your sister。〃







Chapter 6





A Duel





D'Arnot was asleep when Tarzan entered their apartments

after leaving Rokoff's。  Tarzan did not disturb him; but

the following morning he narrated the happenings of

the previous evening; omitting not a single detail。



〃What a fool I have been;〃 he concluded。  〃De Coude and

his wife were both my friends。  How have I returned their

friendship?  Barely did I escape murdering the count。  I have

cast a stigma on the name of a good woman。  It is very probable

that I have broken up a happy home。〃



〃Do you love Olga de Coude?〃 asked D'Arnot。



〃Were I not positive that she does not love me I could not

answer your question; Paul; but without disloyalty to her I

tell you that I do not love her; nor does she love me。  For an

instant we were the victims of a sudden madnessit was not

loveand it would have left us; unharmed; as suddenly as

it had come upon us even though De Coude had not returned。

As you know; I have had little experience of women。  Olga

de Coude is very beautiful; that; and the dim light and the

seductive surroundings; and the appeal of the defenseless for

protection; might have been resisted by a more civilized

man; but my civilization is not even skin deepit does not go

deeper than my clothes。



〃Paris is no place for me。  I will but continue to stumble

into more and more serious pitfalls。  The man…made

restrictions are irksome。  I feel always that I am a prisoner。

I cannot endure it; my friend; and so I think that I shall go

back to my own jungle; and lead the life that God intended

that I should lead when He put me there。〃



〃Do not take it so to heart; Jean;〃 responded D'Arnot。

〃You have acquitted yourself much better than most

‘civilized' men would have under similar circumstances。

As to leaving Paris at this time; I rather think that

Raoul de Coude may be expected to have something to say

on that subject before long。〃



Nor was D'Arnot mistaken。  A week later on Monsieur Flaubert

was announced about eleven in the morning; as D'Arnot and

Tarzan were breakfasting。  Monsieur Flaubert was an

impressively polite gentleman。  With many low bows he delivered

Monsieur le Count de Coude's challenge to Monsieur Tarzan。

Would monsieur be so very kind as to arrange to have

a friend meet Monsieur Flaubert at as early an hour as

convenient; that the details might be arranged to the mutual

satisfaction of all concerned?



Certainly。  Monsieur Tarzan would be delighted to place

his interests unreservedly in the hands of his friend;

Lieutenant D'Arnot。  And so it was arranged that D'Arnot

was to call on Monsieur Flaubert at two that afternoon;

and the polite Monsieur Flaubert; with many bows; left them。



When they were again alone D'Arnot looked quizzically at Tarzan。



〃Well?〃 he said。



〃Now to my sins I must add murder; or else myself be killed;〃

said Tarzan。  〃I am progressing rapidly in the ways of

my civilized brothers。〃



〃What weapons shall you select?〃 asked D'Arnot。

〃De Coude is accredited with being a master with the sword;

and a splendid shot。〃



〃I might then choose poisoned arrows at twenty paces;

or spears at the same distance;〃 laughed Tarzan。

〃Make it pistols; Paul。〃



〃He will kill you; Jean。〃



〃I have no doubt of it;〃 replied Tarzan。  〃I must die some day。〃



〃We had better make it swords;〃 said D'Arnot。  〃He will be

satisfied with wounding you; and there is less danger of a

mortal wound。〃

〃Pistols;〃 said Tarzan; with finality。



D'Arnot tried to argue him out of it; but without avail;

so pistols it was。



D'Arnot returned from his conference with Monsieur Flaubert

shortly after four。



〃It is all arranged;〃 he said。  〃Everything is satisfactory。

Tomorrow morning at daylightthere is a secluded spot on

the road not far from Etamps。  For some personal reason

Monsieur Flaubert preferred it。  I did not demur。〃



〃Good!〃 was Tarzan's only comment。  He did not refer to

the matter again even indirectly。  That night he wrote several

letters before he retired。  After sealing and addressing them

he placed them all in an envelope addressed to D'Arnot。

As he undressed D'Arnot heard him humming a music…hall ditty。



The Frenchman swore under his breath。  He was very unhappy;

for he was positive that when the sun rose the next

morning it would look down upon a dead Tarzan。  It grated

upon him to see Tarzan so unconcerned。



〃This is a most uncivilized hour for people to kill each

other;〃 remarked the ape…man when he had been routed out of

a comfortable bed in the blackness of the early morning hours。

He had slept well; and so it seemed that his head scarcely

touched the pillow ere his man deferentially aroused him。

His remark was addressed to D'Arnot; who stood fully

dressed in the doorway of Tarzan's bedroom。



D'Arnot had scarcely slept at all during the night。  He was

nervous; and therefore inclined to be irritable。



〃I presume you slept like a baby all night;〃 he said。



Tarzan laughed。  〃From your tone; Paul; I infer that you

rather harbor the fact against me。  I could not help it; really。〃



〃No; Jean; it is not that;〃 replied D'Arnot; himself

smiling。  〃But you take the entire matter with such

infernal indifferenceit is exasperating。  One would

think that you were going out to shoot at a target;

rather than to face one of the best shots in France。〃



Tarzan shrugged his shoulders。  〃I am going out to expiate

a great wrong; Paul。  A very necessary feature of the expiation

is the marksmanship of my opponent。  Wherefore; then; should

I be dissatisfied?  Have you not yourself told me that Count

de Coude is a splendid marksman?〃



〃You mean that you hope to be killed?〃 exclaimed D'Arnot;

in horror。



〃I cannot say that I hope to be; but you must admit that

there is little reason to believe that I shall not be killed。〃



Had D'Arnot known the thing that was in the ape…man's

mindthat had been in his mind almost from the first

intimation that De Coude would call him to account on the

field of honorhe would have been even more horrified than

he was。



In silence they entered D'Arnot's great car; and in

similar silence they sped over the dim road that leads

to Etamps。  Each man was occupied with his own thoughts。

D'Arnot's were very mournful; for he was genuinely fond

of Tarzan。  The great friendship which had sprung up between

these two men whose lives and training had been so widely

different had but been strengthened by association; for

they were both men to whom the same high ideals of manhood;

of personal courage; and of honor appealed with equal force。

They could understand one another; and each could be proud

of the friendship of the other。



Tarzan of the Apes was wrapped in thoughts of the past;

pleasant memories of the happier occasions of his lost

jungle life。  He recalled the countless boyhood hours that

he had spent cross…legged upon the table in his dead father's

cabin; his little brown body bent over one of the fascinating

picture books from which; unaided; he had gleaned the secret

of the printed language long before the sounds of

human speech fell upon his ears。  A smile of contentment

softened his strong face as he thought of that day of days

that he had had alone with Jane Porter in the heart of his

primeval forest。



Presently his reminiscences were broken in upon by the

stopping of the carthey were at their destination。

Tarzan's mind returned to the affairs of the moment。

He knew that he was about to die; but there was no fear of

death in him。  To a denizen of the cruel jung

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