Page:The Necromancer, or, The Tale of the Black Forest Vol. 1.djvu/155

 conjure him hither, that I may pierce his cowardly soul."

An unanimous bravo rewarded this unripe joke of our jovial host, we separated, and I went home, lost in profound meditation. Having some reason to suspect that Baron T would let us wait in vain, his departure having been so abrupt, I thought this would prove a fair opportunity of putting Volkert's supernatural power to the test. At last I resolved to wait quietly the issue of that affair, and if T should give us the slip, to try whether I could be able to persuade Volkert to give us a sample of his skill.

Though I had unjustly doubted Baron T's courage, as it will appear in the sequel of my narrative, yet what we had suspected happened afterwards.

The day fixed for the duel came, but no Baron T appeared: We waited for him six hours, and still he did not come. Now I