第28章 THREE IS COMPANY, AND FOUR NONE(1)

THE rest of the day I slept in the corner of the hen-house upon Flora's shawl.Nor did I awake until a light shone suddenly in my eyes, and starting up with a gasp (for, indeed, at the moment I dreamed I was still swinging from the Castle battlements) I found Ronald bending over me with a lantern.It appeared it was past midnight, that I had slept about sixteen hours, and that Flora had returned her poultry to the shed and I had heard her not.I could not but wonder if she had stooped to look at me as I slept.The puritan hens now slept irremediably; and being cheered with the promise of supper I wished them an ironical good-night, and was lighted across the garden and noiselessly admitted to a bedroom on the ground floor of the cottage.There I found soap, water, razors - offered me diffidently by my beardless host - and an outfit of new clothes.To be shaved again without depending on the barber of the gaol was a source of a delicious, if a childish joy.My hair was sadly too long, but I was none so unwise as to make an attempt on it myself.And, indeed, I thought it did not wholly misbecome me as it was, being by nature curly.The clothes were about as good as I expected.The waistcoat was of toilenet, a pretty piece, the trousers of fine kerseymere, and the coat sat extraordinarily well.Altogether, when I beheld this changeling in the glass, I kissed my hand to him.

'My dear fellow,' said I, 'have you no scent?'

'Good God, no!' cried Ronald.'What do you want with scent?'

'Capital thing on a campaign,' said I.'But I can do without.'

I was now led, with the same precautions against noise, into the little bow-windowed dining-room of the cottage.The shutters were up, the lamp guiltily turned low; the beautiful Flora greeted me in a whisper; and when I was set down to table, the pair proceeded to help me with precautions that might have seemed excessive in the Ear of Dionysius.

'She sleeps up there,' observed the boy, pointing to the ceiling;

and the knowledge that I was so imminently near to the resting-

place of that gold eyeglass touched even myself with some uneasiness.

Our excellent youth had imported from the city a meat pie, and I was glad to find it flanked with a decanter of really admirable wine of Oporto.While I ate, Ronald entertained me with the news of the city, which had naturally rung all day with our escape:

troops and mounted messengers had followed each other forth at all hours and in all directions; but according to the last intelligence no recapture had been made.Opinion in town was very favourable to us: our courage was applauded, and many professed regret that our ultimate chance of escape should be so small.The man who had fallen was one Sombref, a peasant; he was one who slept in a different part of the Castle; and I was thus assured that the whole of my former companions had attained their liberty, and Shed A was untenanted.

From this we wandered insensibly into other topics.It is impossible to exaggerate the pleasure I took to be thus sitting at the same table with Flora, in the clothes of a gentleman, at liberty and in the full possession of my spirits and resources; of all of which I had need, because it was necessary that I should support at the same time two opposite characters, and at once play the cavalier and lively soldier for the eyes of Ronald, and to the ears of Flora maintain the same profound and sentimental note that I had already sounded.Certainly there are days when all goes well with a man; when his wit, his digestion, his mistress are in a conspiracy to spoil him, and even the weather smiles upon his wishes.I will only say of myself upon that evening that I surpassed my expectations, and was privileged to delight my hosts.

Little by little they forgot their terrors and I my caution; until at last we were brought back to earth by a catastrophe that might very easily have been foreseen, but was not the less astonishing to us when it occurred.

I had filled all the glasses.'I have a toast to propose,' I whispered, 'or rather three, but all so inextricably interwoven that they will not bear dividing.I wish first to drink to the health of a brave and therefore a generous enemy.He found me disarmed, a fugitive and helpless.Like the lion, he disdained so poor a triumph; and when he might have vindicated an easy valour, he preferred to make a friend.I wish that we should next drink to a fairer and a more tender foe.She found me in prison; she cheered me with a priceless sympathy; what she has done since, I know she has done in mercy, and I only pray - I dare scarce hope -

her mercy may prove to have been merciful.And I wish to conjoin with these, for the first, and perhaps the last time, the health -

and I fear I may already say the memory - of one who has fought, not always without success, against the soldiers of your nation;

but who came here, vanquished already, only to be vanquished again by the loyal hand of the one, by the unforgettable eyes of the other.'

It is to be feared I may have lent at times a certain resonancy to my voice; it is to be feared that Ronald, who was none the better for his own hospitality, may have set down his glass with something of a clang.Whatever may have been the cause, at least, I had scarce finished my compliment before we were aware of a thump upon the ceiling overhead.It was to be thought some very solid body had descended to the floor from the level (possibly) of a bed.I have never seen consternation painted in more lively colours than on the faces of my hosts.It was proposed to smuggle me forth into the garden, or to conceal my form under a horsehair sofa which stood against the wall.For the first expedient, as was now plain by the approaching footsteps, there was no longer time; from the second I recoiled with indignation.

'My dear creatures,' said I, 'let us die, but do not let us be ridiculous.'