High Cost of Pinking

In his 45 years of agile living, Sicilian Monarchist Count Ernesto Perrier has fought nine duels--the last two with rival Monarchist Prince Gianfranco Alliata de Montereale. Not long ago Swordsman Perrier pinked Montereale over a disagreement about the Monarchist Party platform. Four months later they were at it again. Again Perrier won. This time there was no likelihood of another duel. The fact that dueling was against the law mattered little. It was simply too expensive.

"It used to be," said Perrier, who once made a fortune selling real estate in the U.S. and lost it gambling in Havana, "that you could fight a nice duel for two or three thousand lire. Now it costs 25,000 ($111 ) or more. How do you spend the money? Well, you have to rent the swords. That's 5,000. Then there are the doctors --another 5,000. Then a dinner for your seconds--10,000. And of course you have to take a taxi. It's too much. I don't know anyone I dislike well enough to pay 25,000 lire to fight. Not even Gianfranco."

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