St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England

he was sick of seeing so many Englishmen. The doctor vowed it was impossible, the nature and direction of the wound forbidding it. Goguelat replied that he was more in

perfect heathen. If we could only find the weapon!' But the weapon had ceased to exist. A little resined twine was perhaps blowing about in the castle gutters; s

back by any question; he should answer, as he marches on the fire, with an instant briskness and gaiety. I may have been short of bread, gold or grace; I was never yet found wanting in an answer. My comrades, if they were not all so ready, were none of them less staunch; and I may say here at once that the inquiry came to nothing at the time, and the death of Goguelat remained a mystery of the prison. Such were the veterans of France! And yet I should be disingenuous if I d

t because I liked his breakfasts and (to some extent) himself. At least, he was a man of education; and of the others with whom I had any opportunity of speech, those that would not have held a book upsidedown would have torn the pages out for pipe-lights. For I must repeat again that our body of prisoners was exceptional: there was in Edinburgh Castle none of that educational busyness that distinguished some of the other prisons, so that men entered them unable to read, and left them fit for high employments. Chevenix was handsome, and surprisingly young to be a major: six feet in his stockings, well set up, with regular features and very

cise in the usual form

at the paper. 'Very annoyin

him, you understand, but he was congenitally unable to learn French. S

his chin upon his hand, and loo

t have a little

on,' I replied; but I quaked, fo

s,' he went on, 'and I am tempted to think rath

t honour, s

how I strike you; but perhaps you will be prepared

nces; the thing is m

said he. 'What ab

before the court,' I beg

'and I remember perfectly that you were "awakened only." I could repeat the mo

ieve me if I were to r

t you will not "repeat it here." My impression is that you have come i

ed my sh

r evidence, of course, is nonsense.

nts and than

nd I want to ask you where is the common-sense of keeping up this farce, and maintaining this cock-and-

ahead,' said I. 'You

re say an oath was administered. I can comprehend that perfectly.' (He was watching me all the time with his col

nour?' I repeated, lik

ffair of honour,

? I do not fo

soldier, and I knew you for a gentleman. To them your evidence was a leash of lies, which they yawned to hear you telling. Now, I was asking myself, how far will a gentleman go? Not surely so far as to help hush a murder up? So that-when I heard you tell how you knew nothing of the matter, and were only awakened by the corporal, and a

ou to this day. For, as the devil would have it, the shoulder he laid hold of was the one Goguelat had pinked. The wound was but a scratch; it was healing

y as he had laid it there. 'Wh

said I. 'A qualm.

id he. 'You are as

r. I am my own man again,' I said, th

n again?' says he.

treaming face upon my sleeve, for you may b

of honour among you fellows would, naturally, be a little difficult to carry out, perhaps it would be impossible to have it wholly regular. And yet a duel mi

ay from him. 'No,' I cried, 'not that. Do not put your hand upon my shoulder. I cannot be

chair and deliberat

ulder,' he said at last. '

quite used to it. It does not trouble me in the

would have given anything to break. 'Well,' he began presently, 'I believe

at?' said

oguelat,

don. I cannot c

an fell in a duel, and by yo

ut you seem to me to be a

am wrong. If there is-' He waved his hand. 'But I advise you to think twice. There is a deuce of a nasty

gh, 'anything rather than a do

eal relieved me, but I was

my time and hit my man. I don't want to run any one into a corner for an affair that was at all necessary or correct. At the same time,

ll suffice you, here is what I say: I give you my parole, as a gentleman and a soldier,

at was all I wanted. You

augh: 'By the bye, I ought to apologise:

rd with a piece of paper in his hand. He seemed hot

! You'll do. Tell these fellows that the other fellow's dying. He's booked; no use talking; I expect he'll

id

ers. If I got it right, he wants to kiss or embrace you, or some sickening stuff. Got that? Then here's a list he's had written, and you

I be sure what reception he designed to give me? The cure was in my own hand; I could pass that first name over-the doctor would not know-and I might stay away. But to the subsequent great gla

ained that, sent me by myself into the ward. It was a small room, whitewashed; a south window stood open on a vast depth of air and a spacious and distant prospect; and from deep below, in the Grassmarket the voices of hawkers came up clear and far away. Hard by, on a little bed, l

credible shrinkings, and surrendered myself to his arms with

bon bougre, moi. I'll take it to

herwise than in the language of a brutal farce. Presently he bade me call the doctor; and when that officer had come in, raised a little up in his

ffected. He nodded his little bob-wigged head at us,

embraced me again, and I went out

uelat was detested in life; in the last three days, by his admirable staunchness and consideration, he won every heart; and when

ed him; he had done his utmost to protect me; I had seen him with that awful smile. And so illogical and useless is this sentiment of remorse, that I was ready, at a word or a look, to quarrel with

d him if i

id, 'the fel

ffer much?

e, and I saw his hand go to his fob. 'Here, take that! no sense in frett

take; then went to the ramparts, and flung it far into the air like blood money. The night was falling; through an embrasure and across the gardened valley I saw the lamplighters hasting along Princes Street with ladder and lam

ught it was you, Cham

odd

ry painful and all that. But do you know, it ain't such a bad thing either for

y life to Goguela

r not discus

, and I'll agree to bury the su

en ever fight

y?' sa

ed my sh

he. 'I should scarce h

ver dared to address her-only to look at her and vomit his vile insults! S

yes set upon me with a consider

Champdivers. Come to me at breakfast-time t

bad: in writing it down so long after th