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In Honour's Cause: A Tale of the Days of George the First, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 31. In More Hot Water |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. IN MORE HOT WATER. Frank gazed sharply at the doctor, but remained silent, his countenance being so fixed and strange that Captain Murray took alarm. "Hang it, Frank lad, what's the matter? Why don't you speak?" He did not wait to hear the boy's answer, but rushed at once into his bed-chamber and returned directly. "Here, what is the meaning of this?" he cried. "Where is young Forbes?" "Gone, sir," said Frank, finding his voice. "Gone? What do you mean?" "I sat up watching him till I could not keep my eyes open. Then I lay down, and when I awoke this morning the window was open, and he had escaped." "Impossible!" cried Captain Murray angrily. "Humph! I don't know so much about that, Murray," said the doctor, after indulging in a grunt. "The young rascal was gammoning us last night, pretending to be so bad." "But there was no deceit about the wound." "Not a bit, man; but he was making far more fuss about it than was real. It was only a clean cut, especially where I divided the skin and let out the ball. By George! though, the young rascal could bear a bit of pain." "But do you mean to tell me that he could escape alone with a wound like that to disable his arm?" "Oh yes. It would hurt him terribly; but a lad with plenty of courage would grin and bear that, and get away all the same. I'm glad of it." "What! Glad the prisoner has escaped?" "Oh, I don't mean that," said the doctor. "I mean glad he had so much stuff in him. It was a clever bit of acting, and shows that he must have the nerve of a strong man. I beg his pardon, for last night I thought him as weak as a girl for making so much fuss over a mere scratch. It was all sham, that insensibility. I knew in a moment--you remember I said so to you when we went away." The captain nodded. "But I thought it was the weak, vain, young coxcomb making believe so as to pose as a hero who was suffering horribly." "But once more," cried Captain Murray warmly, "do you mean to tell me that, with one arm disabled, that boy could have managed to escape from the window without help?" "To be sure I do. Give him a pretty good sharp, cutting pain while he was using his arm. Did you hear him cry out, Gowan?" "No, sir," said Frank sharply; and he turned angrily upon the captain: "You said something very harsh about Drew Forbes not being able to get away without help. You don't think I helped him to get away?" "Yes, I do, boy," said the captain, with soldierly bluntness. "I think you must have known he wanted to escape, and that you helped him to get out of the window; and I consider it a miserably contemptible return for the kindness of your father's old friend." "It is not true, Captain Murray," cried Frank hotly. "You have no right to doubt my word. Doctor, I assure you I did not know till I woke this morning, when I was utterly astonished." "And ran to the door, and gave notice to the sentry," said Captain Murray coldly. "No, I did not do that. I see now that I ought to have done so, and I was hesitating about it when you both came. But I had only just found it out then." "And I suppose I shall be called to account for letting him go," said the captain bitterly. "Why didn't you go with him? Were you afraid?" "Oh, come, come, Murray," cried the doctor reproachfully; "don't talk so to the boy. He's speaking the truth, I'll vouch for it. Afraid? Rob Gowan's boy afraid? Pooh! he's made of the wrong sort of stuff." "Yes, sir," cried the boy, in a voice hoarse with emotion, "I was afraid,--not last night, for I did not know he was going; but when he begged and prayed of me to run away with him, and join the people rising for the Pretender, I was afraid to go and disgrace my mother and father--and myself." "Well done! well said, Frank, my lad!" cried the doctor, taking him by one hand to begin patting him on the back. "That's a knock down for you, Murray. Now, sir, you've got to apologise to our young friend here--beg his pardon like a man." "If I have misjudged him, I beg his pardon humbly--like a man," said Captain Murray coldly. "I hope I have; but I cannot help thinking that he must have been aware of his companion's flight. Mr Gowan, your parole is at an end, sir. You will keep closely to these rooms." "Bah!" cried the doctor; "why don't you say you are going to have him locked up in the black hole. Murray, I'm ashamed of you. It's bile, sir, bile, and I must give you a dose." "I am going now, doctor," said the captain coldly. "Which means I am to come away, if I don't want to be locked up too. Very well, I have nothing to do here. There, shake hands, Frank. Don't you mind all this. He believes this now; but he'll soon see that he is wrong, and come back and shake hands. Your father knew how to choose his friends when he chose Captain Murray. He's angry, and, more than that, he's hurt, because he thinks you have deceived him; but you have not, my lad. Doctors can see much farther into a fellow than a soldier can, and both of your windows are as wide-open and clear as crystal. There, it will be all right." He gave the boy's shoulder a good, warm, friendly grip, and followed the captain out of the room. The door was locked, some orders were given to the sentry, Frank heard the descending steps, and after standing gazing hard at the closed door for some minutes he dropped into the chair by the table, the one in which he had had such a struggle to keep awake. Then he placed his arms before him, and let his head go down upon them, feeling hot, bitter, and indignant against Captain Murray, and as if he were the most unhappy personage in the whole world. A quarter of an hour must have passed before he started up again with a proud look in his eyes. "Let him--let everybody think so if they like," he said aloud. "I don't care. She'll believe me, I know she will. Oh! if I could only go to her and tell her; but I can't. No," he cried, in an exultant tone; "she knows me better and I know she'll come to me." _ |
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