"I see no gentleman
before me," he retorted. "But I will answer his challenge." And he
glared about the room. "To the truth about low-born men. And to those
who will not leave their treachery in darkness, but hold it forth in
the hard light of day."
The gathering, already hushed and apprehensive, now fell silent as a
stone. For unlike his rival, Arthur had made no attempt to hide his
animosity, or to engage in verbal cat-and-mouse.
But Purceville only smiled blithely. "Splendid!" he cried, as if the
remark could not possibly have been directed at him. He drained his
goblet with a flourish, then crashed it gaily back down onto the
table. Anyone who did not know him well (and there were many present
who did not), might have thought him too deep in his cups.
"Well, my friends," he said, a bit unsteadily. "It has been a lovely
evening. But sadly, all things must come to an end.....
"For now there is work to be done. In the name of that same truth
which the Earl so eloquently serves, he and I must be off on an errand
of our own. We are going to interview a lady
.
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