I wanted to dash off--not from fear, but to indulge in a hearty roar of
laughter--for Denham's countenance at that moment wore the drollest
expression I have ever seen upon the face of man.
"I--I--I beg your pardon, Colonel," he stammered at last.
"For backbiting me, sir," said the Colonel shortly. "I could not help
hearing your last sentence, for you raised your voice and forced it upon
me. Now, if you please, I am one of the--what?"
"I was--I was only telling Moray here, sir, that you were--er--er--very
passionate, and that if--"
"Passionate, am I?"
"Yes, sir," stammered Denham. "No, no; I beg your pardon, sir. I
didn't mean to say that."
"I presume you are saying what you consider to be the truth, Mr
Denham," said the Colonel coldly. "Now, pray go on: and that if--"
"If he came to you with--with a message, sir, that he has just received,
you would kick him out of your presence."
"Humph!" said the Colonel sternly. "Just this minute, sir, you said of
me what you believed to be the truth; but now you have been saying what
you must know to be false.--Pray, what was the message Moray?" he added,
turning to me.
There was only one thing to do, and I did it, giving Moriarty's message
to the end.
"The insolent, conceited idiot!" said the Colonel scornfully. "You need
not go back to him with my answer; but if you come across him again and
he asks what I said, you can tell him this: that at the first
opportunity I shall hand him over to my superior officers, as one of Her
Majesty's subjects found with arms in his hand fighting against the
British force after taking service with her enemies, and doing his best
to impress Englishmen to serve in the same ranks.--Mr Denham, I should
like a few words with you in the morning."
He turned upon his heel and strode heavily away, with his spurs clinking
loudly and the guard at the end of his scabbard giving a sharp _chink_
every now and then, as, field-glass in hand, he climbed to the top of
the wall to take a look round at the positions of the enemy before the
evening closed in.
"Well," said Denham at last, looking the while as if all the military
starch had been taken out of him, "you've done it now."