A duel (Maupassant)

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A duel (French: Un duel ) is a novella by Guy de Maupassant . It first appeared in Le Galois on August 14, 1883 .

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The merchant Dubuis served in the Paris National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War . He is grateful to have survived the war without being directly involved in combat operations. He only saw the first German soldiers after the peace agreement. Mr Dubuis takes the train to Switzerland to pick up his wife and daughter, whom he sent there for their safety when the war began. Two English tourists are sitting in his compartment who want to visit the battlefields. A Prussian officer gets on. He brags about his exploits. Then he begins to insult and humiliate Dubuis. The businessman uses the next stop to change the car, but the officer and the two sensational Englishmen follow him. The situation escalates, the German challenges the French to a duel . During a short stay in Strasbourg , the duel is played on the ramparts. Dubuis fires a shot and, to his own surprise, kills the opponent. Together with the two Englishmen, who are cheering for his victory, he rushes to the station and just barely reaches the train that is already arriving.