'Mulvaney, the dawn's risin',' said Ortheris, 'an' we're no nearer 'ome than we was at the beginnin'. Lend me your pouch. Mine's all dust.' Mulvaney pitched his pouch over, and filled his pipe afresh. 'So the dhress-rehearsal came to an end, an', bekaze I was curious, I stayed behind whin the scene-shiftin' was ended, an' I shud ha' been in barricks, lyin' as flat as a toad under a painted cottage thing. They was talkin' in whispers, an' she was shiverin' an' gaspin' like a fresh-hukked fish. “Are you sure you've got the hang av the manewvers?” sez he, or wurrds to that effec', as the coort-martial sez. “Sure as death,” sez she, “but I misdoubt 'tis cruel hard on my father.” “Damn your father,” sez he, or anyways 'twas fwhat he thought, “the arrangement is as clear as mud. Jungi will drive the carr'ge afther all's over, an' you come to the station, cool an' aisy, in time for the two o'clock thrain, where I'll be wid your kit.” “Faith,” thinks I to myself, “thin there's a ayah in the business tu!” 'A powerful bad thing is a ayah. Don't you niver have any thruck wid wan. Thin he began sootherin' her, an' all the orf'cers an' orf'cers' ladies left, an' they put out the lights. To explain the theory av the flight, as they say at Muskthry, you must understand that afther this _Sweethearts'_ nonsinse was ended, there was another little bit av a play called _Couples_--some kind av couple or another. The gurl was actin' in this, but not the man. I suspicioned he'd go to the station wid the gurl's kit at the end av the first piece. 'Twas the kit that flusthered me, for I knew for a Capt'n to go trapesing about the impire wid the Lord knew what av a _truso_ on his arrum was nefarious, an' wud be worse than easin' the flag, so far as the talk aftherwards wint.' ''Old on, Mulvaney. Wot's _truso_?' said Ortheris. 'You're an oncivilised man, me son. Whin a gurl's married, all her kit an' 'coutrements are _truso_, which manes weddin'-portion. An' 'tis the same whin she's runnin' away, even wid the biggest blackguard on the Arrmy List. 'So I made my plan av campaign. The Colonel's house was a good two miles away. “Dennis,” sez I to my colour-sargint, “av you love me lend me your kyart, for me heart is bruk an' me feet is sore wid trampin' to and from this foolishness at the Gaff.” An' Dennis lent ut, wid a rampin', stampin' red stallion in the shafts. Whin they was all settled down to their _Sweethearts_ for the first scene, which was a long wan, I slips outside and into the kyart. Mother av Hivin! but I made that horse walk, an' we came into the Colonel's compound as the divil wint through Athlone--in standin' leps. There was no one there excipt the servints, an' I wint round to the back an' found the girl's ayah.