Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Short stories
being pulled over he had to rise and fling her off. He did this stoically,
without a word, kneeling down again at once to go on with his work. But
the third time, his work being done, he seized her and held her arms
pinned to her body. Her cap was half off, her face was red, her eyes
blazed with crazy boldness. He looked mildly into them while she called
him a wretch, a traitor, and a murderer many times in succession. This did
not annoy him so much as the conviction that she had managed to scratch
his face abundantly. Ridicule would be added to the scandal of the story.
He imagined the adorned tale making its way through the garrison of the
town, through the whole army on the frontier, with every possible
distortion of motive and sentiment and circumstance, spreading a doubt
upon the sanity of his conduct and the distinction of his taste even to
the very ears of his honourable family. It was all very well for that
fellow Feraud, who had no connections, no family to speak of, and no
quality but courage, which, anyhow, was a matter of course, and possessed
by every single trooper in the whole mass of French cavalry. Still holding
down the arms of the girl in a strong grip, Lieut. D’Hubert glanced over
his shoulder. Lieut. Feraud had opened his eyes. He did not move. Like a
man just waking from a deep sleep he stared without any expression at the
evening sky.
</p>
<p>
Lieut. D’Hubert’s urgent shouts to the old gardener produced no effect—not
so much as to make him shut his toothless mouth. Then he remembered that
the man was stone deaf. All that time the girl struggled, not with
maidenly coyness, but like a pretty, dumb fury, kicking his shins now and
then. He continued to hold her as if in a vice, his instinct telling him
that were he to let her go she would fly at his eyes. But he was greatly
humiliated by his position. At last she gave up. She was more exhausted
than appeased, he feared. Nevertheless, he attempted to get out of this
wicked dream by way of negotiation.
</p>
<p>
“Listen to me,” he said, as calmly as he could. “Will you promise to run
for a surgeon if I let you go?”
</p>
<p>
With real affliction he heard her declare that she would do nothing of the
kind. On the contrary, her sobbed out intention was to remain in the
garden, and fight tooth and nail for the protection of the vanquished man.
This was shocking.
</p>
<p>
“My dear child!” he cried in despair, “is it possible that you think me
capable of murdering a wounded adversary? Is it. . . . Be quiet, you
little wild cat, you!”
</p>
<p>
They struggled. A thick, drowsy voice said behind him, “What are you after
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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