Each counter of the
opponent's would have to be preconsidered in this widening of his
guard, a widening so gradual that he should himself be unconscious
of it, and throughout intent upon getting home his own point on
one of those counters.
Andre-Louis had been in his time a chess-player of some force, and
at chess he had excelled by virtue of his capacity for thinking
ahead. That virtue applied to fencing should all but revolutionize
the art. It was so applied already, of course, but only in an
elementary and very limited fashion, in mere feints, single, double,
or triple. But even the triple feint should be a clumsy device
compared with this method upon which he theorized.
He considered further, and the conviction grew that he held the key
of a discovery. He was impatient to put his theory to the test.
That morning he was given a pupil of some force, against whom
usually he was hard put to it to defend himself. Coming on guard,
he made up his mind to hit him on the fourth disengage,
predetermining the four passes that should lead up to it.
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