time continued with mutual freedom, till the duke had reason to
believe from what he heard from others, that the peer had boasted
favours from the duchess of Wharton.

This instance of wanton vanity, the duke could not help resenting,
though he often declared since the quarrel, that he never had the
least suspicion of the duchess's honour. He resolved therefore very
prudently to call the Scots lord to an account, without letting
him know it was for the duchess or so much as mentioning her name;
accordingly he took occasion to do it in this manner.

It happened that the duke of Wharton and his lordship met at a lady's
whom they mutually visited, and the duke dropping his glove by chance,
his lordship took it up, and returned it to the duke; who thereupon
asked him if he would take it up in all it's forms? To which his
lordship answered, yes, my lord, in all its forms.

Some days after, the duke gave a ball at St. Germains, to which he
invited the Scots nobleman, and some person indiscretely asked his
grace whether he had forbid the duchess's dancing with lord C----.
This gave the duke fresh reason to believe that the Scots peer had
been administring new grounds for his resentment, by the wantonness
of calumny. He dissembled his uneasiness for the present, and very
politely entertained the company till five o'clock in the morning,
when he went away without the ceremony of taking leave; and the next
news that was heard of him was from Paris, from whence he sent a
challenge to lord C----d, to follow him to Flanders.

The challenge was delivered by his servant, and was to this effect:
'That his lordship might remember his saying he took up his glove in