"Go up to the Colonel and ask him if we shall play the dance music now."
The band was stationed by one of the open windows, and Dick, in his best
uniform, had only to step in and go round behind the Colonel's chair to
whisper to him.
"Ah, Dick, my boy," he said. "Dance music? Yes. Stop; I'll ask our
hostess. By the way, Mrs Trevor," he said, turning to the tall,
sad-looking lady at whose side he was sitting, "let me introduce to you
the greatest man in our corps, the brave little fellow who saved my
life."
Mrs Trevor turned smilingly round, when a sunburned gentleman on her
other side gave utterance to a gasp and sprang from his chair.
"My dear madam," cried the Colonel, "are you ill?"
For Mrs Trevor uttered a wild cry, as, to the astonishment of all, the
little fellow in scarlet and gold sprang to her side and threw his arms
about her neck.
"_Oh, mother_! Why, father," he cried, "do you live here?"
The boy's memory of the past had come back like a flash of light, and as
he caught at Mr Trevor's hand he suddenly turned pale, shivered, and
clapped his hands to the scar upon his head, for the horror of the scene
before he was struck down by one of a gang of French camp-followers came
back to him with terrible vividness.
The banquet was nearly at an end when this scene took place and after
warm congratulations from the visitors, they had the good taste to hurry
away, and the band was dismissed, the Colonel only stopping with the boy
to help him relate how he was retained in the regiment.
He heard in return an explanation from Mr Trevor, who told how it was
that the burned house was their country villa among the mountains, where
in ignorance of danger being near, the boy was left with the servants
for a few hours, the father and mother returning to find only smoking
ruins and the traces of a horrible massacre having taken place. So
convinced were they that their son had perished in the fire with the
servants that no search was made, and the Trevors fled, glad to escape
with their lives, Mr Trevor having a hard task to restore his wife to
reason after the terrible shock.
To them their child was dead, and they had felt that they would never
thoroughly recover from the dreadful blow.
"But you see, Colonel, one never knows what is in store, and it is not
right to despair. Now, how can we thank you enough for all that you
have done?"
"I don't want thanks," said the Colonel. "I ought to thank you for all
that he so bravely did for me; and besides, Dick, boy, there was someone
else who--"
He stopped, for a servant entered the room.
"I beg pardon, sir, but there's a woman and a soldier outside. I told
them you were engaged, but the woman said she would see you."
"A woman and a soldier?" cried Mr Trevor--"will see me?"
"I know," cried Dick excitedly, "it's mother and father--I mean--I--"
He too stopped short, and looked from one to the other. "I mean," he
cried bravely, "my other father and mother, who saved me and brought me
back to life."
"Where is he?" cried an angry voice in the hall. "I will see him.
Dick, my darling Dick!"
Mrs Trevor turned white, and a pang shot through her, as she saw her
newly-recovered son rush to the door, throw it open and call out
loudly:--"Here I am, mother: this way."
"Oh, my darling!" cried Mrs Corporal: "I've just heard--Oh, what does
it mean? I--I beg your pardon, my lady, and you too, sir, and Colonel,
but--but they've been telling me--"
"Yes, it's all true," cried Dick, interrupting her. "Mother dear, this
is my other mother, and father dear, this is Corporal Joe."
"Oh--oh--oh!" sobbed Mrs Corporal wildly; "after all this time, and me
getting to love him and look upon him as my own! Oh, my lady, my lady,
you never would be so cruel as to take him away? It would be so wicked,
so hard upon us now."
"My own boy?" said Mrs Trevor gently, as Dick stood gazing wildly from
one to the other.
"But for us never to see him again," cried Mrs Corporal fiercely, and
she caught the boy by the arm. "Don't say you won't love us still, Dick
dear!"
"Why should he say such cruel words to one who has been a second mother
to him,--to one who brought him back to life? And why should you never
see him again? We are going to England too, and while we have a home it
shall be yours as well."
Mrs Trevor took the rough woman's hand, leaned towards her, and kissed
her cheek.
"For saving my darling's life," she said softly, and then burst into
tears.
Poor Mrs Corporal's anger melted at this, and she caught Mrs Trevor's
hand in hers and kissed it again and again.
"Oh, my dear lady," she sobbed; "I'm a wicked, selfish woman, and he is
your own flesh and blood. Come with you to be where I could always see
the dear, brave, darling boy? Oh, I'd go down on my knees and be
thankful, but I can't leave my poor man. I wouldn't if he was strong
and well, and now he's wounded and broken and got to leave the
regiment--no, not if we had to beg our bread from door to door. Kiss
me, my darling boy, once more, and then--oh Joe, my man, I can't bear
it! Take me away, take me away."
Joe, who had stood back stiffly in the background near where Dick's
father was whispering with Colonel Lavis, took two steps to the front
with a painful limp, saluted the company, and caught his half-blind wife
in his arms.
"It's quite right, my lass," he said huskily, "and--from my heart, my
lady, I say thank God the dear lad's coming to his own. Don't mind what
the missus said--she--she, you see, loved him, and--good-bye, Master
Dick, my lad--good--"
"Stop," said Mr Trevor, stepping towards him with his eyes moist, and
clapping the invalided soldier on the shoulder. "Corporal, your Colonel
says that you are as brave and true a man as ever stepped. I feel that
it must be so. While I live the wounded soldier to whom we owe so much
shall never want a home. Dick, as they call you--Frank, my boy, what do
you say to this?"
"Say?" faltered the boy, as he stood trembling, and then he could not
speak. The next moment he had rushed to his mother to kiss her
passionately, giving her a look that seemed to say, "Don't think I shall
not love you more than ever;" and then he ran and caught Joe's hand,
holding it fast for a moment, before flinging his arms about poor Mrs
Corporal's neck, to whisper something in her ear which made the poor
woman wipe away her tears.
"Hah!" cried the Colonel huskily, "this is peace indeed."
That night mother and father stole hand in hand into the room next their
own, where their son lay sleeping peacefully. They did not bend down to
kiss him lest he should start awake, but they knelt by his side in
thankfulness for the great joy which filled their hearts, before
thinking sadly of those to whom they owed so much.
Strangely enough, just about the same time Mrs Corporal rose from her
knees and said:--
"There, Joe, old man, I won't cry another drop, for I feel now that it's
right and what should be. But just in here somewhere there's a little
place where he'll always seem to be--our soldier boy to the very end."