THE RETURN
Before daylight Sally rose softly and began to dress, feeling extremely
irritated. She disliked getting up in the mornings and this scheme of
arising early was so annoying that it had kept her awake the greater
part of the night.
Besides she had but little hope of not arousing Alice. Once as she was
searching quietly on the floor for her shoes, Alice sat up, asking
severely:
"What on earth are you doing, Sally Ashton? If you are not ill, come on
back to bed. If you are ill, come back in any case and let me get
whatever it is you desire."
Sally murmured something vague and indeterminate about endeavoring to
discover a lost pillow and Alice fell comfortably asleep again, nor did
she awaken when Sally at last slipped out of the room and down stairs.
In case any one else heard her or called, she had made up her mind to
explain that she was seeing about some preparation for breakfast. As
"housekeeper extraordinary" this statement _might_ be believed,
even if it were unlike her to start her ministrations so early.
But no one was disturbed and Sally got her little bundle of provisions
together quickly, since she knew just where the supplies of food were
kept. They had not a great deal, considering the demands that were
constantly being made upon them by the people in the neighborhood who
were less well off, so Sally felt that she had not the right to be
over-generous, and made her selections with due discretion.
It was more than ever her determination to demand that the soldier leave
the chateau at once this morning, if he could be induced to see the
wisdom of such a proceeding, but if not by nightfall.
Also Sally had made up her mind to ask no questions. If the soldier were
arrested later she wished to know as little as possible concerning him.
He had spoken of being captured and of running away from his captors.
This suggested that he was a German or an Austrian who had been taken
prisoner and was trying to effect an escape. If this were true Sally
felt a fierce condemnation of her own cowardly attitude. But was it not
remotely possible that the soldier had committed some offense and had
then run away from his own regiment? However, this point of view was but
little in his favor. As he spoke English with an accent and as foreign
accents were all of an equal mystification to Sally, it was possible
that she need never know his origin.
Outdoors and slipping through the garden, to Sally's surprise and
consternation she nearly ran into old Jean, who appeared to have been up
all night caring for his stock.
He looked like a gnome with his wrinkled skin, his little eyes, his
muddy gray hair and even his clothes almost of a color with the earth.
He was carrying a lantern, but instead of speaking beckoned mysteriously
to Sally to follow him out to Miss Patricia's barn, where a half dozen
cows were now installed.
Not knowing what else to do, Sally stood by until she found herself
presented with a small pail of milk, and still with no comments, for
immediately after Jean went on with his morning's work.
She did not waste time, however, in puzzling over the old servant man.
After drinking a small quantity of the milk, not wishing to throw the
rest away or to return to the house, Sally concluded to take it with her
as a part of her offering. Yet she had no real desire to give
refreshment to her accidental acquaintance.
Some curious feminine force must have moved Sally Ashton on this
occasion. Most women find it difficult to allow a human being to endure
physical suffering, once the person is delivered into their care.
As she made her way to the chateau for the second time Sally loathed the
cold dark morning and there was no beauty nor significance to her in the
gray leaden sky which lay like a mourning veil over the sad French
landscape.
Sally considered that she was engaged in an almost unjustifiable action.
Yet she could not make up her mind to leave the soldier to starve, or to
betray his presence in the chateau.
Moreover, Sally was haunted by a small nervous fear, which may have been
out of place in the face of the larger issues which were involved. As
the soldier in hiding had no reason to believe she would arrive so early
in the morning, he might still be asleep. Sally disliked the idea that
thus she might be called upon to awaken him. The conventions of life
were dear to her, she had a real appreciation of their value and place
in social life and no desire to break with any one of them.
The food could be left in the dismantled old drawing-room, under its
arch of leaning walls, but Sally wished to leave a command as well as
the food. After this one unhappy pilgrimage she would do nothing more
for the soldier's safety and comfort. He must take his chances and slip
away.
The entire neighborhood was disturbingly quiet. An owl of late habits
would have been almost companionable. Upon one point Sally considered
herself inflexible. She would not enter the chateau; she might call
softly from the outside if it were necessary. If no one replied she
would return to the farm and nevermore would the chateau be honored by
her presence.
In an entirely different state of mind she approached the old house on
this second occasion and made her way to the opening between the walls.
Inside there seemed an even more uncanny silence. Yet how could one call
to an utter stranger whose name, whose identity, whose nationality were
all unknown?
"Halloo!" Sally cried in a faint voice, not once but three or four
times.
There was no reply.
She called again. Then she entered the drawing-room quickly with no
other idea than to put down her offerings and flee away as soon as
possible. Sally was possessed of the impression that, however long the
wrecked walls might remain in position while she was outside them, once
inside she would be buried beneath a descending mass.
A few feet within the arch she discovered her soldier.
He had made for himself a bed out of an old mattress which he had
dragged from some other room, using a torn covering which once had been
a beautiful eiderdown quilt. As he had no pillow and his face was
completely uncovered, Sally realized he was in a stupor and so ill that
he had not heard her approach or her repeated calls.
Fortunately Sally Ashton was essentially practical.
Moreover, in an extraordinary fashion for so young and presumably
selfish a girl she immediately forgot herself. She was living in an
atmosphere of unselfishness and devotion to others, so the thought that
the object of her present care was not a worthy object did not at the
moment influence her.
In a matter-of-fact and skillful fashion Sally first poured a small
amount of milk inside her patient's parted lips. Except that the soldier
became half aroused by her act and seemed to wish more, there was no
difficulty. Then unwrapping the arm which she had bandaged the day
before, she cleansed the wound a second time with the antiseptic she had
brought for the purpose.
Afterwards, realizing that she must find the water she had been told was
still to be had in one of the rooms of the chateau, without considering
her previous fears, Sally climbed and crawled through one dangerous
opening after the other, in spite of her awkwardness in any unaccustomed
physical exertion. Finally she discovered the water. Then in a half
broken pitcher, secured in passing through one of the wrecked bedrooms,
she carried a small amount to the drawing-room.
Without hesitation or embarrassment the girl bathed her undesired
patient's face and hands. He had fine, strong features; there was
nothing in the face to suggest weakness or cowardice. Still it remained
impossible to decide his nationality or whether he was an officer or
merely a common soldier, since his outfit was a patchwork of oddly
assorted garments.
Sally's acquaintance with uniforms was limited. She knew that the French
wore the horizon blue and the British and Americans a nearly similar
shade of khaki.
Her patient's outfit was like no other she had seen.
Yet over these minor details she did not trouble. In spite of her lack
of experience, Sally was convinced that the soldier was now suffering
from blood poison due to neglect of his wound and the unhealthy and
unsanitary conditions in which he had been living.
The day before she had thought he looked and acted strangely and had
half an idea that he may have been partly delirious then, so she was not
altogether surprised by the present situation.
During her journey across the fields daylight had come; because she
would not otherwise have been able to accomplish her present task even
so inadequately as she had accomplished it, Sally was pleased.
Yet when the moment arrived and she had done all she could for the
soldier's comfort she had to face her real difficulty.
There is no mistake in this world more serious than to judge other
people's problems in the light in which they appear to us. The problem
which is nothing to one human being appears insurmountable to another.
So with Sally Ashton's present difficulty.
She had made up her mind to tell the soldier that unless he left the
chateau before the following day she would be compelled to tell her
friends of his hiding place and ask advice. But she had meant to warn
him of her intention and allow him to take his chances if he preferred.
Now he appeared defenceless and entirely at her mercy.
Should she betray him at once? Certainly there was a possibility that he
would die of neglect if left alone at the chateau. But then he must have
faced this possibility and deliberately chosen it.
Sally wondered what would become of an escaped prisoner if he were
discovered to be desperately ill? It did not seem possible that the
military authorities would be so severe as he had anticipated.
Yet she knew very little of the ways of military authorities, and an
escaped prisoner would scarcely be an object of devoted attention.
Although not aware of the fact, already Sally had assumed a protective
attitude toward the soldier.
One thing she might do and that was to wait another twenty-four hours.
It was barely possible that he might not be so ill as she now believed.
At present she must not remain a moment longer at the chateau. Instead
she must run back across the fields, since it was her plan to reach the
farm house and be discovered in the act of assisting Mere 'Toinette in
the preparation of breakfast.