Duel Challenge
With his mind growing bewildered by emotion, Albert formally challenges Beauchamp to a duel, announcing he will send his seconds to arrange the place of meeting and choice of weapons. He demands the meeting take place that evening or the following day at the latest. Beauchamp, while accepting the challenge, asserts his right as the provoked party to dictate the preliminaries. He acknowledges Albert’s superior skill with the sword but notes their relative equality as marksmen, and proposes terms that would allow him time to investigate the truth of the accusation before committing to either retraction or combat.
Three Weeks’ Preparation
Beauchamp proposes a compromise: three weeks during which he will investigate the truth of the matter. At the end of this period, he will either retract the article as false or confirm it as true, at which point he will immediately draw his sword or pistols—whichever Albert prefers. Albert protests that three weeks will feel like three centuries under the weight of dishonor, but Beauchamp reminds him that as Albert’s enemy rather than friend, the delay matters little to him. They agree on a deadline: today being the 29th of August, the term will conclude on the 21st of September.
Albert’s Departure
Beauchamp delivers a final cold bow and retires to the press-room. Albert vents his fury upon a pile of newspapers, switching them violently with his stick and sending them flying across the office. After this outburst, he departs—though not without walking several times past the press-room door, as if half-minded to enter. He continues his rage in his carriage, lashing its front as he had the newspapers that bore the offending article.
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