dressed young gentleman stood by this table in the act of resuming
coat and wig。 M。 des Amis sauntered over to him … moving； thought
Andre…Louis； with extraordinary grace and elasticity … and stood in
talk with him whilst also assisting him to complete his toilet。
At last the young gentleman took his departure； mopping himself with
a fine kerchief that left a trail of perfume on the air。 M。 des
Amis closed the door； and turned to the applicant； who rose at once。
〃Where have you studied？〃 quoth the fencing…master abruptly。
〃Studied？〃 Andre…Louis was taken aback by the question。 〃Oh； at
Louis Le Grand。〃
M。 des Amis frowned； looking up sharply as if to see whether his
applicant was taking the liberty of amusing himself。
〃In Heaven's name！ I am not asking you where you did your
humanities； but in what academy you studied fencing。〃
〃Oh … fencing！〃 It had hardly ever occurred to Andre…Louis that
the sword ranked seriously as a study。 〃I never studied it very
much。 I had some lessons in。。。 in the country once。
The master's eyebrows went up。 〃But then？〃 he cried。 〃Why trouble
to come up two flights of stairs？〃 He was impatient。
〃The notice does not demand a high degree of proficiency。 If I am
not proficient enough； yet knowing the rudiments I can easily
improve。 I learn most things readily；〃 Andre…Louis commended himself。
〃For the rest： I possess the other qualifications。 I am young； as
you observe： and I leave you to judge whether I am wrong in assuming
that my address is good。 I am by profession a man of the robe；
though I realize that the motto here is cedat toga armis。〃
M。 des Amis smiled approvingly。 Undoubtedly the young man had a
good address； and a certain readiness of wit； it would appear。 He
ran a critical eye over his physical points。 〃What is your name？〃
he asked。
Andre…Louis hesitated a moment。 〃Andre…Louis；〃 he said。
The dark； keen eyes conned him more searchingly。
〃Well？ Andre…Louis what？〃
〃Just Andre…Louis。 Louis is my surname。〃
〃Oh！ An odd surname。 You come from Brittany by your accent。 Why
did you leave it？〃
〃To save my skin；〃 he answered； without reflecting。 And then made
haste to cover the blunder。 〃I have an enemy；〃 he explained。
M。 des Amis frowned； stroking his square chin。 〃You ran away？〃
〃You may say so。
〃A coward； eh？〃
〃I don't think so。〃 And then he lied romantically。 Surely a man
who lived by the sword should have a weakness for the romantic。
〃You see； my enemy is a swordsman of great strength … the best blade
in the province； if not the best blade in France。 That is his
repute。 I thought I would come to Paris to learn something of the
art； and then go back and kill him。 That； to be frank； is why your
notice attracted me。 You see； I have not the means to take lessons
otherwise。 I thought to find work here in the law。 But I have
failed。 There are too many lawyers in Paris as it is； and whilst
waiting I have consumed the little money that I had； so that。。。 so
that； enfin； your notice seemed to me something to which a special
providence had directed me。〃
M。 des Amis gripped him by the shoulders； and looked into his face。
〃Is this true； my friend？〃 he asked。
〃Not a word of it；〃 said Andre…Louis； wrecking his chances on an
irresistible impulse to say the unexpected。 But he didn't wreck
them。 M。 des Amis burst into laughter； and having laughed his fill；
confessed himself charmed by his applicant's fundamental honesty。
〃Take off your coat；〃 he said； 〃and let us see what you can do。
Nature； at least； designed you for a swordsman。 You are light；
active； and supple； with a good length of arm； and you seem
intelligent。 I may make something of you； teach you enough for my
purpose； which is that you should give the elements of the art to
new pupils before I take them in hand to finish them。 Let us try。
Take that mask and foil； and come over here。
He led him to the end of the room； where the bare floor was scored
with lines of chalk to guide the beginner in the management of his
feet。
At the end of a ten minutes' bout； M。 des Amis offered him the
situation； and explained it。 In addition to imparting the rudiments
of the art to beginners； he was to brush out the fencing…room every
morning； keep the foils furbished； assist the gentlemen who came for
lessons to dress and undress； and make himself generally useful。
His wages for the present were to be forty livres a month； and he
might sleep in an alcove behind the fencing…room if he had no other
lodging。
The position； you see； had its humiliations。 But； if Andre…Louis
would hope to dine； he must begin by eating his pride as an hors
d'oeuvre。
〃And so；〃 he said； controlling a grimace； 〃the robe yields not only
to the sword； but to the broom as well。 Be it so。 I stay。〃
lt is characteristic of him that； having made that choice； he should
have thrown himself into the work with enthusiasm。 It was ever his
way to do whatever he did with all the resources of his mind and
energies of his body。 When he was not instructing very young
gentlemen in the elements of the art； showing them the elaborate and
intricate salute … which with a few days' hard practice he had
mastered to perfection … and the eight guards； he was himself hard
at work on those same guards； exercising eye； wrist； and knees。
Perceiving his enthusiasm； and seeing the obvious possibilities it
opened out of turning him into a really effective assistant； M。
des Amis presently took him more seriously in hand。
〃Your application and zeal； my friend； are deserving of more than
forty livres a month；〃 the master informed him at the end of a week。
〃For the present； however； I will make up what else I consider due
to you by imparting to you secrets of this noble art。 Your future
depends upon how you profit by your exceptional good fortune in
receiving instruction from me。〃
Thereafter every morning before the opening of the academy； the
master would fence for half an hour with his new assistant。 Under
this really excellent tuition Andre…Louis improved at a rate that
both astounded and flattered M。 des Amis。 He would have been less
flattered and more astounded had he known that at least half the
secret of Andre…Louis' amazing progress lay in the fact that he was
devouring the contents of the master's library； which was made up
of a dozen or so treatises on fencing by such great masters as La
Bessiere； Danet； and the syndic of the King's Academy； Augustin
Rousseau。 To M。 des Amis； whose swordsmanship was all based on
practice and not at all on theory； who was indeed no theorist or
student in any sense； that little library was merely a suitable
adjunct to a fencing…academy； a proper piece of decorative furniture。
The books themselves meant nothing to him in any other sense。 He
had not the type of mind that could have read them with profit nor
could be understand that another should do so。 Andre…Louis； on the
contrary； a man with the habit of study； with the acquired faculty
of learning from books； read those works with enormous profit； kept
their precepts in mind； critically set off those of one master
against those of another； and made for himself a choice which he
proceeded to put into practice。
At the end of a month it suddenly dawned upon M。 des Amis that his
assistant had developed into a fencer of very considerable force；
a man in a bout with whom it became necessary to exert himself if
he were to escape defeat。
〃I said from the first；〃 he told him one day； 〃that Nature designed
you for a swordsman。 See how justified I was； and see also how well
I have known how to mould the material with which Nature has
equipped you。〃
〃To the master be the glory；〃 said Andre…Louis。
His relations with M。 des Amis had meanwhile become of the
friendliest； and he was now beginning to receive from him other
pupils than mere beginners。 In fact Andre…Louis was becoming an
assistant in a much fuller sense of the word。 M。 des Amis； a
chivalrous； open…handed fellow； far from taking advantage of what
he had guessed to be the young man's difficulties； rewarded his
zeal by increasing his wages to four louis a month。
》From the' earnest and thoughtful study of the theories of others；
it followed now … as not uncommonly happens … that Andre…Louis came
to develop theories of his own。 He lay one June morning on his
little truckle bed in the alcove behind the academy； considering a
passage that he had read last night in Danet on double and triple
feints。 It had seemed to him when reading it that Danet had stopped
short on the threshold of a great discovery in the art of fencing。
Essentially a theorist； Andre…Louis perceived the theory suggested；
which Danet himself in suggesting it had not perceived。 He lay now
on his back； surveying the cracks in the ceiling and considering
this matter further with the lucidity that early morning often
brings to an acute intelligence。 You are to remember that for close
upon two months now the sword had been Andre…Louis' daily exercise
and almost hourly thought。 Protracted concentration upon the subject
was giving him an extraordinary penetration of vision。 Swordsmanship
as he learnt and taught and saw it daily practised consisted of a
series of attacks and parries； a series of disengages from one line
into another。 But always a limited series。 A half…dozen disengages
on either side was； strictly speaking； usually as far as any
engagement went。 Then one recommenced。 But even so； these
disengages were fortuitous。 What if from first to last they should
be calculated？
That was part of the thought … one of the two legs on which his
theory was to stand； the other was： what would happen if one so
elaborated Danet's ideas on the triple feint as to merge them into
a series of actual calculated disengages to culminate at the fourth
or fifth or even sixth disengage？ That is to say； if one were to
make a series of attacks inviting ripostes again to be countered；
each of which was not intended to go home； but simply to play the
opponent's blade into a line that must open him ultimately； and as
predetermined； for an irresistible lunge。 Each counter of th