"Mr. Archibald!" I gasped, "I saw _him_!"
"Him?"
"Whitmore!"
He stared at me. "You"re off your head a bit, boy. You"ll be all right when we get you to hospital."
"But I saw him, sir! They shot him--against the wall. He was a deserter, and they hunted him out."
"Well, and what is that to me, if they did?" He turned his face away. "Isabel, my wife, is dead," he said slowly.
"Dead?"
"She is dead--and the child."
He bowed his face, while I gazed at him incredulous, sick at heart.
"If what you say is true," he said, lifting his eyes till, weary and desperate, they met mine, "she has been avenged to-night."
"You shall see," I promised; and as the two soldiers picked me up and laid me along a plank, I made signs that they were to carry me as I directed. He nodded, and fell into pace beside my litter.
The body of Whitmore lay along the foot of the wall where it had fallen. But when we drew near, it was not at the body that I stared, putting out a hand and gripping Archibald Plinlimmon"s arm.
On the balcony opposite, George Leicester still leaned forward and grinned down into the street.
He did not move or glance aside even when Archibald commanded the men to set me down; nor when he pa.s.sed in at the open door and we waited; nor again when he stepped out on the balcony and called him by name.
The corpse stared down still. For it was a corpse, with a woman"s bodkin-dagger driven tight home between the shoulder-blades.
And so, by an unknown sister"s hand, Isabel"s wrongs had earthly vengeance.
CHAPTER XXIV.
I EXCHANGE THE LAUREL FOR THE OLIVE.
Thus, in hospital in Ciudad Rodrigo, ended my first campaign; and here in a few words may end my story. The surgeons, having their hands full, and detecting no opportunities of credit in a small bugler with a splintered ankle, sent me down to Belem, splinters and splints and all, to recover: and at Belem hospital, just as the surgeons were beginning to congratulate themselves that, although never likely to be fit again for active service, I might in time make a fairly active hospital orderly, the splinters began to work through the flesh; and for two months I lay on my back in bed and suffered more pain than has been packed into the rest of my life.
The curious part of it was that, having extracted the final splinter, they promptly invalided me home. From the day I limped on board the _c.u.mberland_ transport in the Tagus, leaning on two crutches, I began to mend: and within twelve months--as may hereafter be recounted--I was back again, hale and hearty, marching with no perceptible limp, on the soil of Spain.
But I must not, after all, conclude in this summary fashion.
And why? Because scarcely had I set foot in the _c.u.mberland_ when a voice from somewhere amidships exclaimed:
"My blessed Parliament!"
I looked up and found myself face to face with--Ben Jope!
"And you"ve grown!" he added, as we shook hands.
"But Ben, I thought you were married and settled?"
He turned his eyes away uneasily.
"Whoever said so told you a thundering lie."
"n.o.body told me," said I; "but when you left me, I understood--"
"My lad," he interrupted hoa.r.s.ely, "I couldn"t do it. I went straight back, same as you saw me start--now don"t say a word till you"ve heard the end o"t!--I went straight back, and up to door without once looking back. There was a nice bra.s.s knocker to the door (I never denied the woman had some good qualities); so I fixed my eyes hard on it and said to myself, if there"s peace to be found in this world--which was a Bible text that came into my head--the heart that is humble, which is the case with me, may look for it here. And with that I shut my eyes and let fly at it, though every knock brought my heart into my mouth. Now guess: who d"ye think answered the door? Why, that ghastly boy of hers! There he stood, all freckles and pimples; and says he, grinning:"
"Mr. Benjamin Jope Moderately well, I hope."
"I couldn"t stand it. I turned tail and ran for my life."
"But was that quite honourable?" I asked.
"Ain"t I tellin" you to wait till I"ve done? You don"t suppose as it ended there, do you? No; I pa.s.sed my word to that sister of mine, and my word I must keep. So I went back to Symonds"s--who was that pleased to see me again you"d have thought I"d been half round the world--and I ordered up three-pennorth of rum, and pens and ink to the same amount: and this is what I wrote, and I hope you"ll get it by heart before you"re in a hurry again to accuse Ben Jope of dishonourable conduct--"_Respected Madam_," I wrote, "_this is to enquire if you"ll marry me. Better late than never, and please don"t trouble to reply. I"ll call for an answer when I wants it. Yours to command, B. Jope. N.B.: We might board the boy out_." Symonds found a messenger, and I told him on no account to wait for an answer.
Now, I hope you call that acting straight?"
"Well, but what was the answer?" I asked.
He hung his head. "To tell you the truth, I ha"n"t called for it yet. You notice I didn"t specify no time; and being inclined for a v"yage just then, I tramped it down to Falmouth and shipped aboard the _Marlborough_, Post Office Packet, for Lisbon."
"And you"ve been dodging at sea ever since," said I severely.
"If you"d only seen that boy!" protested Mr. Jope.
"I"ll call with you and see him as soon as ever we reach Plymouth," I said; "but you pa.s.sed your word, and your word you must keep."
"You"re sure "twill be safe for you at Plymouth?" he asked, and (as I thought) a trifle mischievously. "How about that Jew?"
"Oh, that"s all cleared up!"
He sighed. "Some folks has luck. To be sure, he may be dead," he added, with an attempt at cheerfulness.
"The Jew?"
"No, the boy."
I could hold out no hope of this, and he consoled himself with antic.i.p.ating the time we would spend together at Symonds"s. "For if you"re invalided home, they"ll discharge you on leave as soon as we reach port."
"Unless they keep me in hospital," said I.
"Then you"ll have to make a cure of it on the voyage."
"I feel like that, already. But the mischief is I"ve no home to go to."
"There"s Symonds"s."