CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
A WATCH NIGHT.
"What is it--an attack?"
"Quick, gentlemen!" cried the colonel; "every man to his quarters."
He had hardly spoken before a bugle rang out; and as Frank was hurriedout with the rest into the courtyard, it was to see, by the dim light ofthe clouded moon and the feeble oil lamps, that the guard had turnedout, and the tramp of feet announced that the rest of the men gatheredfor the defence of the Palace and its occupants were rapidly hurryingout of their quarters, to form up in one or other of the yards.
Frank felt that he was out of place; but in his interest and excitementhe followed Captain Murray like his shadow, and in very few minutes knewthat no attack had been made upon the Palace, but that the cause of thealarm was from within, and his heart sank like lead as the captain saidto him:
"Poor lad! He must be half crazy to do such a thing. Come with me."
Frank followed him, and the next minute they met, coming from the gateon the Park side, a group of soldiers, marching with fixed bayonetstoward the guardroom, two of the men within bearing a stretcher, onwhich lay Andrew Forbes, apparently lifeless. For the lad had been madenough to make a dash for his liberty, in spite of knowing what wouldfollow, the result being that the sentry by the guardroom had challengedhim to stop, and as he ran on fired. This spread the alarm, and thesecond sentry toward the gate had followed his comrade's example as hecaught a glimpse of the flying figure, while the third sentry outsidethe gate, standing in full readiness, also caught sight of the lad as hedashed out and was running to reach the trees of the Park.
This shot was either better aimed, or the unfortunate youth literallyleaped into the line of fire, for as the sentry drew trigger, just asthe lad passed between two of the trees, Drew uttered a sharp cry ofagony and fell headlong to the earth.
"Poor lad! poor lad!" muttered Captain Murray; and he made a sign to thesoldiers not to interfere, as Frank pressed forward to catch hisfriend's hand. Then aloud, "Where is the doctor?"
"Here, of course," said that gentleman sharply from just behind them."Always am where I'm wanted, eh? Look sharp, and take him to theguardroom."
"No, no--to my quarters," said Captain Murray quickly. "Tut--tut--tut!What were they about to let him go?"
In a few minutes the wounded lad was lying on Captain Murray's bed, withthe colonel, Captain Murray, and two or three more of the officerspresent, and Frank by the bedside, for when the colonel said to the lad,"You had better go," the doctor interfered, giving Frank a peculiar cockof the eye as he said, "No, don't send him away; he can help."
Frank darted a grateful look at the surgeon, and prepared to busyhimself in undressing the sufferer.
"No, no; don't do that now--only worry him. I can see what's wrong, andget at it."
The position of the injury was plain enough to see from the blood on thelad's sleeve, and the doctor did not hesitate for a moment; but, takingout a keen knife from a little case in his pocket, he slit the sleevefrom cuff to shoulder, and then served the deeply stained shirt sleevethe same.
"Dangerous?" said the colonel anxiously. "Pooh! no," said the doctorcontemptuously. "Nice clean cut. Just as if it had been done with aknife," as he examined the boy's thin, white left arm. "You ought togive that sentry a stripe, colonel, for his clever shooting. Hah! yes,clean cut for two inches, and then buried itself below the skin. Notenough powder, or it would have gone through instead of stopping inhere. No need for any probing or searching. Here we are."
As he spoke he made a slight cut with his keen knife through the whiteskin, where a little lump of a bluish tint could be seen, pressed withhis thumbs on either side, and the bullet came out like a round buttonthrough a button-hole, and rolled on to the bed.
"Better save that for him, Gowan," said the doctor cheerfully. "He'lllike to keep it as a curiosity. Stopped its chance of festering andworrying him and making him feverish. Now we'll have just a stitch hereand a stitch there, and keep the lips of the wound together."
As he spoke he took a needle and silk from his case, just as if he hadbrought them expecting that they would be wanted, took some lint fromone pocket, a roll of bandage from another, and in an incredibly shorttime had the wound bound up.
"Likely to be serious?" said Captain Murray.
"What, this, sir? Pooh! not much worse than a cut finger. Smart a bit.Poor, weak, girlish sort of a fellow; feeble pulse. Good thing he hadfainted, and didn't know what I was doing. Well, squire, how are you?"
Andrew Forbes lay perfectly still, ghastly pale, and with his eyesclosely shut, till the doctor pressed up first one lid and then theother, frowning slightly the while.
"Can I get anything for you, doctor?" said Captain Murray.
"Eh? Oh no! He'll be all right. Feels sick, and in a bit of pain.Let him lie there and go to sleep."
"But he is fainting. Oughtn't you to give him something, or to bathehis face?"
"Look here!" cried the doctor testily, "I don't come interfering andcrying `Fours about,' or `By your right,' or anything of that kind, whenyou are at the head of your company, do I?"
"Of course not."
"Then don't you interfere when I'm in command over one of my gang. I'vetold you he's all right. I ought to know."
"Oh yes; let the doctor alone, Murray," said the colonel. "There, I'mheartily glad that matters are no worse. Foolish fellow to attempt sucha wild trick. You will want a nurse for him, doctor."
"Nurse! for that? Pooh! nonsense! I'm very glad he was so considerateas not to disturb me over my dinner. I shouldn't have liked that,Squire Gowan. Didn't do it out of spite because he was not asked todinner, did he?"
"Pish! no; he was asked," said Captain Murray. "Yes; you wanted to saysomething, Gowan?"
"Only that I will have a mattress on the floor, sir, and stay with him."
"Not necessary, boy," said the doctor sharply.
"Let him be with his friend, doctor," said Captain Murray.
"Friend, sir? I thought they were deadly enemies, trying hard to giveme a job this morning to fit their pieces together again. I don't wantto stop him from spoiling his night's rest if he likes; but if he stays,won't they begin barking and biting again?"
"Not much fear of that--eh, Frank? There, stay with your friend. I'min hopes that you will do him more good than the doctor."
"Oh, very well," said that gentleman.
"Then you don't think there is anything to be alarmed about?" said Frankanxiously.
"Pooh! no; not a bit more than if you had cut your finger with a sharpknife. Now, if the bullet had gone in there, or there, or there, orinto his thick young head," said the doctor, making pokes at the lad'sbody as he lay on the bed, "we should have some excuse for beinganxious; but a boy who has had his arm scratched by a bullet! The ideais absurd. I say, colonel, are boys of any good whatever in the world?"
"Oh yes, some of them," said the colonel, smiling and giving Frank akindly nod. "Good night, my lad. There will be no need for you to situp, I think."
"Not a bit, Gowan," said the doctor quietly. "Don't fidget, boy. He'llbe all right."
Frank looked at him dubiously.
"I mean it, my lad," he said, in quite a different tone of voice. "Youmay trust me. Good night."
He shook hands warmly with the boy, and all but Captain Murray left thechamber, talking about the scare that the shots had created in thePalace.
"I hear they thought the Pretender had dropped in," said the doctorjocosely. Then the door was shut, and the sound cut off.
"I'll leave you now, Frank, my lad," said Captain Murray. "Take one ofthe pillows, and lie down in the next room on the couch. There's anextra blanket at the foot of the bed. I will speak to my servant to beon the alert, and to come if you ring. Don't scruple to do so, if youthink there is the slightest need, and he will fetch the doctor at once.You will lie down?"
"If you think I may," said Frank, as he walked with him to the door
ofthe sitting-room, beyond earshot of the occupant of the bed.
"I am sure you may, my boy. The doctor only confirmed my ownimpression, and I feel sure he would know at a glance."
"But Drew seems quite insensible, sir."
"Yes--seems," said Captain Murray. "There, trust the doctor. I doimplicitly. I think he proved his knowledge in the way he saved BaronSteinberg's life. Good night. You will have to be locked in; but thesentry will have the key, and you can communicate with him as well asring, so you need not feel lonely. There, once more, good night."
The captain passed out, and Frank caught sight of a tall sentinel on thelanding before the door was closed and locked, the boy standing pale andthoughtful for some moments, listening to the retiring steps of hisfather's old friend, before crossing the room, and entering the chamber,which looked dim and solemn by the light of the two candles upon thedressing table. He took up one of these, and went to the bedside, tostand gazing down at Andrew's drawn face and bandaged arm, his brownhair lying loose upon the pillow, and making his face look the whiter bycontrast.
"In much pain, Drew?" he said softly; but there was no reply.
"Can I do anything for you?"
Still no reply, and the impression gathered strength in the boy's mindthat his companion could hear what he said but felt too bitter to reply.
This idea grew so strong, that at last he said gently:
"Don't be angry with me, Drew. It is very sad and unfortunate, and Iwant to try and help you bear it patiently. Would you like me to doanything for you? Talk to you--read to you; or would you like me towrite to your father, and tell him of what has happened?"
But, say what he would, Andrew Forbes made no sign, and lay perfectlystill--so still, that in his anxiety Frank stretched out his hand totouch the boy's forehead and hands, which were of a pleasanttemperature.
"He is too much put out to speak," thought Frank; "and I don't wonder.He must feel cruelly disappointed at his failure to escape; but I'm gladhe has not got away; for it would have been horrible for him to havegone and joined the poor foolish enthusiasts who have landed in thenorth."
He stood gazing sadly down at the wounded lad for some minutes, and thensoftly took the extra pillow and blanket from the bed, carried them tothe little couch in the next room, returned for the candles, and, afterholding them over the patient for a few minutes, he went back quietly tothe sitting-room, placed them on the table, took a book, and sat down toread.
He sat down to read, but he hardly read a line, for the scenes of thepast twenty-four hours came between his eyes and the print, and at theend of a quarter of an hour he wearily pushed the book aside, took upone of the candles, and looked in the chamber to see how Andrew appearedto be.
Apparently he had not moved; but now, as the boy was going to ask himagain if he could do anything for him, he heard the breath coming andgoing as if he were sleeping calmly; and feeling that this was the verybest thing that could happen to him, he went softly back to his seat,and once more drew the book to his side.
But no; the most interesting work ever written would not have taken hisattention, and he sat listening for the breathing in the next room, thento the movements of the sentry outside as he moved from time to time,changing feet, or taking a step or two up and down as far as the size ofthe landing would allow. Then came a weary yawn, and the clock chimedand struck twelve, while, before it had finished, the sounds of otherclocks striking became mingled with it, and Frank listened to thestrange jangle, one which he might have heard hundreds of times, butwhich had never impressed him so before.
At last silence, broken only by the pacings of other sentries; and oncemore came from the landing a weary yawn, which was infectious, for inspite of his troubles Frank yawned too, and felt startled.
"I can't be sleepy," he said to himself; "who could at such a time?"And to prove to himself that such a thing was impossible, and show histhorough wakefulness, he rose, and once more walked into the chamber,looked at the wounded lad, apparently sleeping calmly, and returned tohis seat to read.
And now it suddenly dawned upon him that, in spite of his desire to bethoroughly wakeful, nature was showing him that he could not go throughall the past excitement without feeling the effects, for, as he bentfirmly over his book to read, he found himself suddenly readingsomething else--some strange, confused matter about the house in QueenAnne Street, and the broken door.
Then he started up perfectly wakeful, after nodding so low that his facetouched the book.
"How absurd!" he muttered; and he rose and walked up and down the room.The sentry heard him, and began to pace the landing.
Frank returned to his seat, looked at the book, and went off instantlyfast asleep, and almost immediately woke up again with a start.
"Oh, this won't do," he muttered. "I can't--I won't sleep."
The next minute he was fast, but again he woke up with a start.
"It's of no use," he muttered; "I must give way to it for a few minutes.I'll lie down, and perhaps that will take it off, and I shall be quiteright for the rest of the night."
Very unwillingly, but of necessity, for he felt that he was almostasleep as he moved about, he rose, took up the blanket from the couch,threw it round him like a cloak, punched up the pillow, and lay down.
"There!" he said to himself; "that's it. I don't feel so sleepy thisway; it's resting oneself by lying down. I believe I could read now,and know what I am reading. How ridiculous it makes one feel to be sohorribly sleepy! Some people, they say, can lie down and determine towake up in an hour, or two hours, or just when they like. Well, I'd dothat--I mean I'd try to do that--if I were going to sleep; but I won'tsleep. I'll lie here resting for a bit, and then get up again, and goand see how Drew is. It would be brutal to go off soundly, with himlying in that state. How quiet it all seems when one is lying down!It's as if one could hear better. Yes, I can hear Drew breathing quiteplain; and how that sentry does keep on yawning! Sentries must get verysleepy sometimes when on duty in the night, and it's a terribly severepunishment for one who does sleep at his post. Well, I'm a sentry at mypost to watch over poor Drew, and I should deserve to be very severelypunished if I slept; not that I should be punished, except by my ownconscience."
He lay perfectly wakeful now, looking at the candles, which both wantedsnuffing badly, and making up his mind to snuff them; but he beganthinking of his father, then wondering once more where he could be, andfeeling proud of the way in which the officers talked about him.
"If the King would only pardon him!" he thought, "how--I must get up andsnuff those candles; if I don't, that great black, mushroom-like bit ofburnt wick will be tumbling off and burning in the grease, and be whatthey call a thief in the candle. How it does grow bigger and bigger!"
And it did grow bigger and bigger, and fell into the tiny cup of moltengrease--for in those days the King's officers were not supplied with waxcandles for their rooms--and it did form a thief, and made the candlegutter down, while the other slowly burned away into the socket, andmade a very unpleasant odour in the room, as first one and then theother rose and fell with a wanton-looking, dancing flame, which finallydropped down and rose no more, sending up a tiny column of smokeinstead.
Then the sentry was relieved, and so was Frank, for, utterly worn out,he was sleeping heavily, with nature hard at work repairing the waste ofthe day, and so soundly that he did not know of the reverse ofcircumstances, and that Andrew Forbes had risen to enter the outer room,and look in, even coming close to his side, as if to see why it was hedid not keep watch over him and come and see him from time to time.
History perhaps was repeating itself: the mountain would not go toMahomet, so Mahomet had to go to the mountain.