“Give me an hour or two to think of it, Charles,” said the admiral.  “Don’t speak to any one else, but give me a little time.  You shall have no cause of complaint.  Your honour cannot suffer in my hands.”

“I will wait your leisure, uncle; but remember that such affairs as these, when once broached, had always better be concluded with all convenient dispatch.”

“I know that, boy—­I know that.”

The admiral walked away, and Charles, who really felt much fretted at the delay which had taken place, returned to the house.

He had not been there long, when a lad, who had been temporarily hired during the morning by Henry to answer the gate, brought him a note, saying,—­

“A servant, sir, left this for you just now.”

“For me?” said Charles, as he glanced at the direction.  “This is strange, for I have no acquaintance about here.  Does any one wait?”

“No, sir.”

The note was properly directed to him, therefore Charles Holland at once opened it.  A glance at the bottom of the page told him that it came from his enemy, Sir Francis Varney, and then he read it with much eagerness.  It ran thus:—­

“SIR,—­Your uncle, as he stated himself to be, Admiral Bell, was the bearer to me, as I understood him this day, of a challenge from you.  Owing to some unaccountable hallucination of intellect, he seemed to imagine that I intended to set myself up as a sort of animated target, for any one to shoot at who might have a fancy so to do.

“According to this eccentric view of the case, the admiral had the kindness to offer to fight me first, when, should he not have the good fortune to put me out of the world, you were to try your skill, doubtless.

“I need scarcely say that I object to these family arrangements.  You have challenged me, and, fancying the offence sufficient, you defy me to mortal combat.  If, therefore, I fight with any one at all, it must be with you.

“You will clearly understand me, sir, that I do not accuse you of being at all party to this freak of intellect of your uncle’s.  He, no doubt, alone conceived it, with a laudable desire on his part of serving you.  If, however, to meet me, do so to-night, in the middle of the park surrounding your own friends estate.

“There is a pollard oak growing close to a small pool; you, no doubt, have noticed the spot often.  Meet me there, if you please, and any satisfaction you like I will give you, at twelve o’clock this night.

“Come alone, or you will not see me.  It shall be at your own option entirely, to convert the meeting into a hostile one or not.  You need send me no answer to this.  If you are at the place I mention at the time I have named, well and good.  If you an not, I can only, if I please, imagine that you shrink from a meeting with

     “FRANCIS VARNEY.”