CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
IN MORE HOT WATER.
Frank gazed sharply at the doctor, but remained silent, his countenancebeing 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 hisbed-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 laydown, and when I awoke this morning the window was open, and he hadescaped."
"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 lastnight, 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 letout the ball. By George! though, the young rascal could bear a bit ofpain."
"But do you mean to tell me that he could escape alone with a wound likethat to disable his arm?"
"Oh yes. It would hurt him terribly; but a lad with plenty of couragewould 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 muchstuff in him. It was a clever bit of acting, and shows that he musthave the nerve of a strong man. I beg his pardon, for last night Ithought him as weak as a girl for making so much fuss over a merescratch. It was all sham, that insensibility. I knew in a moment--youremember 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 asto pose as a hero who was suffering horribly."
"But once more," cried Captain Murray warmly, "do you mean to tell methat, with one arm disabled, that boy could have managed to escape fromthe window without help?"
"To be sure I do. Give him a pretty good sharp, cutting pain while hewas 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 getaway without help. You don't think I helped him to get away?"
"Yes, I do, boy," said the captain, with soldierly bluntness. "I thinkyou must have known he wanted to escape, and that you helped him to getout of the window; and I consider it a miserably contemptible return forthe kindness of your father's old friend."
"It is not true, Captain Murray," cried Frank hotly. "You have no rightto doubt my word. Doctor, I assure you I did not know till I woke thismorning, when I was utterly astonished."
"And ran to the door, and gave notice to the sentry," said CaptainMurray coldly.
"No, I did not do that. I see now that I ought to have done so, and Iwas hesitating about it when you both came. But I had only just foundit out then."
"And I suppose I shall be called to account for letting him go," saidthe captain bitterly. "Why didn't you go with him? Were you afraid?"
"Oh, come, come, Murray," cried the doctor reproachfully; "don't talk soto the boy. He's speaking the truth, I'll vouch for it. Afraid? RobGowan'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 wasafraid,--not last night, for I did not know he was going; but when hebegged and prayed of me to run away with him, and join the people risingfor the Pretender, I was afraid to go and disgrace my mother andfather--and myself."
"Well done! well said, Frank, my lad!" cried the doctor, taking him byone hand to begin patting him on the back. "That's a knock down foryou, Murray. Now, sir, you've got to apologise to our young friendhere--beg his pardon like a man."
"If I have misjudged him, I beg his pardon humbly--like a man," saidCaptain Murray coldly. "I hope I have; but I cannot help thinking thathe must have been aware of his companion's flight. Mr Gowan, yourparole 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 himlocked 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'tyou mind all this. He believes this now; but he'll soon see that he iswrong, and come back and shake hands. Your father knew how to choosehis friends when he chose Captain Murray. He's angry, and, more thanthat, he's hurt, because he thinks you have deceived him; but you havenot, my lad. Doctors can see much farther into a fellow than a soldiercan, 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 thecaptain out of the room. The door was locked, some orders were given tothe sentry, Frank heard the descending steps, and after standing gazinghard at the closed door for some minutes he dropped into the chair bythe 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 hewere the most unhappy personage in the whole world.
A quarter of an hour must have passed before he started up again with aproud look in his eyes.
"Let him--let everybody think so if they like," he said aloud. "I don'tcare. She'll believe me, I know she will. Oh! if I could only go toher and tell her; but I can't. No," he cried, in an exultant tone; "sheknows me better and I know she'll come to me."
In Honour's Cause: A Tale of the Days of George the First Page 31