It's good to see them having fun."En garde" tells the fighters to take their stance.
"Coming out" is the coming-of-age ritual for girls at this time. Technically I think it means being presented at court, but most novels gloss over that in favor of describing the huge, over-the-top ball. A girl could not be courted or appear at social events until she had come out.
Imention this because I was trying to figure out if there was an equivalent for boys. I am not sure there was. They were breeched between 4 and 8, but I don't think that made them men. Perhaps the nearest equivalent for a young gentleman was attending university, which they might do starting as young as 15. As for when they could engage in business, or attend social events, I don't know. Blackadder and Horrible Histories both spoof William Pitt the Younger, but I see he was 24 before he became Prime Minister, even though he was portrayed as a schoolboy.
You know, I thought I wrote down which university Stephen will be attending, and which one Allen attended, but I can't find it now, and I can't remember.
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