Perhaps it would have been nice to allow him another shot or two, just like a gentleman of the old school. But his gun was still up and I couldn't wait any longer. Not long enough to be a gentleman of the old school. I shot him four times, the Colt straining against my ribs.

Marlowe weighs gallantry against survival and chooses to fire on Canino while he still has a gun raised.

— Philip Marlowe #1 - The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler, 1939)


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