Frank gazed sharply at the doctor, but remained silent, his countenance
being 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 his
bed-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 lay
down, and when I awoke this morning the window was open, and he had
escaped."
"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 last
night, 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 let
out the ball. By George! though, the young rascal could bear a bit of
pain."
"But do you mean to tell me that he could escape alone with a wound like
that to disable his arm?"
"Oh yes. It would hurt him terribly; but a lad with plenty of courage
would 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 much
stuff in him. It was a clever bit of acting, and shows that he must
have the nerve of a strong man. I beg his pardon, for last night I
thought him as weak as a girl for making so much fuss over a mere
scratch. It was all sham, that insensibility. I knew in a moment--you
remember 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 as
to pose as a hero who was suffering horribly."
"But once more," cried Captain Murray warmly, "do you mean to tell me
that, with one arm disabled, that boy could have managed to escape from
the window without help?"
"To be sure I do. Give him a pretty good sharp, cutting pain while he
was 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 get
away without help. You don't think I helped him to get away?"
"Yes, I do, boy," said the captain, with soldierly bluntness. "I think
you must have known he wanted to escape, and that you helped him to get
out of the window; and I consider it a miserably contemptible return for
the kindness of your father's old friend."
"It is not true, Captain Murray," cried Frank hotly. "You have no right
to doubt my word. Doctor, I assure you I did not know till I woke this
morning, when I was utterly astonished."
"And ran to the door, and gave notice to the sentry," said Captain
Murray coldly.
"No, I did not do that. I see now that I ought to have done so, and I
was hesitating about it when you both came. But I had only just found
it out then."
"And I suppose I shall be called to account for letting him go," said
the captain bitterly. "Why didn't you go with him? Were you afraid?"
"Oh, come, come, Murray," cried the doctor reproachfully; "don't talk so
to the boy. He's speaking the truth, I'll vouch for it. Afraid? Rob
Gowan'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 was
afraid,--not last night, for I did not know he was going; but when he
begged and prayed of me to run away with him, and join the people rising
for the Pretender, I was afraid to go and disgrace my mother and
father--and myself."
"Well done! well said, Frank, my lad!" cried the doctor, taking him by
one hand to begin patting him on the back. "That's a knock down for
you, Murray. Now, sir, you've got to apologise to our young friend
here--beg his pardon like a man."
"If I have misjudged him, I beg his pardon humbly--like a man," said
Captain Murray coldly. "I hope I have; but I cannot help thinking that
he must have been aware of his companion's flight. Mr Gowan, your
parole 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 him
locked 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't
you mind all this. He believes this now; but he'll soon see that he is
wrong, and come back and shake hands. Your father knew how to choose
his friends when he chose Captain Murray. He's angry, and, more than
that, he's hurt, because he thinks you have deceived him; but you have
not, my lad. Doctors can see much farther into a fellow than a soldier
can, 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 the
captain out of the room. The door was locked, some orders were given to
the sentry, Frank heard the descending steps, and after standing gazing
hard at the closed door for some minutes he dropped into the chair by
the 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 he
were the most unhappy personage in the whole world.
A quarter of an hour must have passed before he started up again with a
proud look in his eyes.
"Let him--let everybody think so if they like," he said aloud. "I don't
care. She'll believe me, I know she will. Oh! if I could only go to
her and tell her; but I can't. No," he cried, in an exultant tone; "she
knows me better and I know she'll come to me."