Melbourne House, Volume 1

n the grass under the shade of some elm trees, looking at it. Perhaps it was not exactly the sunshine that he was enjoying, but the soft couch of short grass, and the luxur

e suddenly was "ware" of a fold of white drapery somewhere not very far from his left ear. He raised himself a litt

nd manly; and his curly light-brown hair and his slight well-trimmed moustache set off features that were pleasant for man or woman t

me, Daisy?" said

leisure, Cap

elf. "What shall I give you? a camp-chair? or wi

a carpet, and took her place upon it beside Capt.

at leisure, C

when ladies' affairs a

ey?" sa

ought

am not

you call

y gravely. "I suppose I a

give you as large a piece of my leisure as you can make us

ith a very serious face,-"do s

re lying out under the trees

n they are actin

Daisy's face was, he controlled himself; and leaning on his elbow,

sy-sometim

apt. Dr

ariety

lease tell

hy, Daisy, what makes y

friend in

but you,"

for it, I will tell you anything you

w in what way soldie

with, a soldier can't

out any

urne now because I have got leave; and I must go when

does he

st go and come, do or no

him; and ask

estions?"

o what he i

yn't he ask

the reason of things; all he has got to do is his du

General-then that wouldn't be

aptain. "Suppose he has a good General-as you say

ll, Capt.

quite

t el

under a good General, is oft

ort of

nder the rain-clouds-with no bed but stones or puddles of mud and wet leaves-and rain pouring

d Daisy horrified, "I tho

ain. "But just where the hardest work is to

that be

afrai

hink they'd

then? A soldier's life isn't his own; and if he has to give it up in a

er who had run, or would run, such risks, very tenderly; but nevertheless the

rk' they have to do?"

wouldn't lik

y,

every now and then comes a shot from the enemy's batteries, ploughs up their work, a

n its interest; but she o

like to

ke to know

Mrs. Randolph w

on, Capt.

gh or frozen half through-nor going half fed-About the hardest thing I know, is in a hurried retreat to be o

ard to figh

of the enemy's guns, and see your friends

ou?" sai

d I w

ink it is har

fterwards, when one comes to think about it. It is h

more sober. Daisy concluded it must be something about a soldier's life that she could not understand, all this coolness with which he

re not called t

passed

all you can tell m

e to tell you all

I want to know al

d, "it is not so bad as you think, Daisy. A goo

orders does h

sor

they were w

no diff

g ord

s something he can do, he does it; if it is so

his hea

just as it happens. That makes no difference, either." He watched Daisy as he spoke, seeing a slight co

ation: A

he ever told to do a

he Crimea. I happened to be there on business, and I saw some things. An order was

, I

brought in-Hall

shouting at a little d

! Where

said Daisy. "He'll com

ain. "Come,-let us disappoint h

they heard calling. Daisy half ran, half flew, it seemed to her; so fast the strong hand of her friend pulled her over the ground. At the edge of the bank that faced the river, at the top of a v

where are y

is too lazy to look for us there. We shall be safe. Da

soberly thoughtful a few minutes ago was all b

aid Daisy, casting her eye down

oldier you have nothing to do. All you have to do is to o

aid Daisy, "or over and over. I

ination, or want of discipline. But we have got to charge, all th

found however that Capt. Drummond could manage what she could not. He took hold of her hand again; and then-Daisy hardly believed it while she was doing it,-but there she was, going down that bank in an upright position; not falling nor stumbling, though it is true she was not walking neither. The Captain di

come down there after

he won't,"

isoner and you are my prisoner; and we will set eac

he river washing past it. Beyond lay the broad stream, all bright in the summer sunshine, with the great blue hills rising up misty and

" repeated the Captain. "W

said Daisy. "I have

t we here wi

onth-I mean mamma's black

time I ever heard of a b

e resemble her na

June," said Daisy. "I don't thin

here any more with h

"I don't go with her, o

ith Sam and

om? Don't he

er, you know; a

This is pleasant, Daisy. Now let

g me something,

ced to extra duty. The work you are to perform, is to gather as many of t

oth, and in the shadow of an overhanging tree they both sat down. Then the Captain throwing off his cap, began arranging the white pebbles on the sand in some mysterious manner-lines of them h

!-" h

all, Capt.

your stor

st

s are the English," said he, beginning to marshal another set into mysterious

eaking some twigs from the tree overhead and cutting them up into inch lengths. These little mock guns he distributed liberally among the white stones, pointing their

and these are part of the lines. An order was brought to an officer co

, I

t to pieces;-the enemy had so many guns in that place and he had so few men to attack them with. The order was a mista

his

to their death-and everybody else knew

e it, Capt.

saw

stricken, for Captain Drummond's look said that he

n; there were more cannon; cannon on every side of them but o

of them we

hun

!-were they

of them that escaped

pebbles and the guns

w the order was a mista

often, what an order is given for; he cannot judge; he does not know what his General means to ac

thinking of? She sat l

. He wa

will it do? Do you think you w

ked off and on at the Captain's face

wish you would join my

come into

you joi

s not inconsistent with my present duties. So you have e

ead and did not j

ou want to know about soldiers for? I have

answer, and se

not honour

But Capt. Drummond was a great favourite, and had earned her fa

o the house," she said,-"if you wil

y spent a good while longer by the river-side, erecting fo