Vittoria. Volume 5. George Meredith

Weisspriess.

      Angelo tightened his fingers about the stringy grasstuft; he stood like a dreamer, leaning over to the sword; suddenly he sprang on it, received the point right in his side, sprang on it again, and seized it in his hand, and tossed it up, and threw it square out in time to burst within guard and strike his stilet below the Austrian's collar-bone. The blade took a glut of blood, as when the wolf tears quick at dripping flesh. It was at a moment when Weisspriess was courteously bantering him with the question whether he was ready, meaning that the affirmative should open the gates of death to him.

      The stilet struck thrice. Weisspriess tottered, and hung his jaw like a man at a spectre: amazement was on his features.

      'Remember Broncini and young Branciani!'

      Angelo spoke no other words throughout the combat.

      Weisspriess threw himself forward on a feeble lunge of his sword, and let the point sink in the ground, as a palsied cripple supports his frame, swayed, and called to Angelo to come on, and try another stroke, another —one more! He fell in a lump: his look of amazement was surmounted by a strong frown.

      His enemy was hanging above him panting out of wide nostrils, like a hunter's horse above the long-tongued quarry, when Vittoria came to them.

      She reached her strength to the wounded man to turn his face to heaven.

      He moaned, 'Finish me'; and, as he lay with his back to earth, 'Good- evening to the old army!'