He
was in the habit of slandering and vituperating, in the most violent
manner; and, in the well-thronged _cafes_ and _salons_ of the
French capital, not only his _bon ami_ Mr. G----, but everything
and everybody _English_, until our young officer, provoked by his
insolence beyond all patience, taking the advice of a friend, challenged
him. The Gaul, affecting to be highly irritated, at first protested that
"he would never consent to _degrade_ himself by fighting any of the
d--d English;" and, with horrid imprecations, parodied Caligula's
memorable malice, by wishing that "all the cursed members of that
infernal nation were but one body, which he might destroy at a shot!"
However, that no imputation might rest on his courage, he consented to
meet his adversary--for whom, by the way, he expressed the most thorough
contempt--next morning, at the _Bois de Boulogne_. They met; and
this miserable man received the reward of his perfidy and malice, by a
ball through his heart!
Some days after this affair, Mr. G---- being grossly insulted by another
French gentleman--a notorious duellist, and, if we mistake not, an ally
of the deceased--felt himself obliged to notice the affront in a similar
manner.
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