The Bronze Eagle (47 page)

M. le Comte shrugged his shoulders and stood aside. He knew that in an
argument with his sister, he would surely be worsted: and there was a
look in Madame's face which, even in this dim twilight, he knew how to
interpret. It meant that Madame would carry out her programme just as
she had stated it, and that she would take Crystal with her—with or
without the father's consent. So, realising this, M. le Comte had but
one course left open to him and that was to safeguard his own dignity by
making the best of this situation—of which he still highly disapproved.

"Well, my dear Sophie," he said, "I suppose if you insist on having your
way, you must have it: though what the women of our rank are coming to
nowadays I cannot imagine. At the same time I for my part must insist
that Crystal at least puts on a bonnet and shawl and does not career
about the streets dressed like a kitchen wench."

"Crystal," whispered Madame, who was nothing if not practical, "do as
your father wishes—it will save a lot of argument and save time as
well."

But even before the words were out of Madame's mouth, Crystal was
running along the corridor—ready to obey. At the foot of the stairs St.
Genis intercepted her.

"Let me pass!" she cried wildly.

[Pg 369]
"Not before you have said that you have forgiven me!" he entreated as he
clung to her white draperies with a passionate gesture of appeal.

An exclamation which was almost one of loathing escaped her lips and
with a jerk she freed her skirt from his clutch. Then she ran quickly up
the stairs. Outside the door of her own room on the first landing she
paused for one minute, and from out of the gloom her voice came to him
like the knell of passing hope.

"If he comes back alive out of the hell to which you condemned him," she
said, "I may in the future endure the sight of you again. . . . If he
dies . . . may God forgive you!"

The opening and shutting of a door told him that she was gone, and he
was left in company with his shame.

[Pg 370]

Until far into the night the air reverberated with incessant
cannonade—from the direction of Genappe and from that of Wavre—but
just before dawn all was still. The stream of convoys which bore the
wounded along the road to Brussels from Mont Saint Jean and Hougoumont
and La Haye Sainte had momentarily ceased its endless course. The sky
had that perfect serenity of a midsummer's night, starlit and azure with
the honey-coloured moon sinking slowly down towards the west. Here at
the edge of the wood the air had a sweet smell of wet earth and damp
moss and freshly cut hay: it had all the delicious softness of a loved
one's embrace.

Through the roar of distant cannonade, Bobby had slept. For a time after
St. Genis left him he had watched the long straight road with dull,
unseeing eyes—he had seen the first convoy, overfilled with wounded men
lying huddled on heaped-up straw, and had thanked God that he was lying
on this exquisitely soft carpet made of thousands of tiny green
plants—moss, grass, weeds, young tendrils and growing buds and opening
leaves that were delicious to the touch. He had quite forgotten that he
was wounded—neither his head nor his leg nor his arm seemed to hurt him
now: and he was able to think in peace of Crystal and of her happiness.

St. Genis would have come to her by then: she would be happy to see him
safe and well, and perhaps—in the
[Pg 371]
midst of her joy—she would think of
the friend who so gladly offered up his life for her.

When the air around was no longer shaken by constant repercussion, Bobby
fell asleep. It was not yet dawn, even though far away in the east there
was a luminous veil that made the sky look like living silver. Behind
him among the trees there was a moving and a fluttering—the birds were
no longer asleep—they had not begun to sing but they were shaking out
their feathers and opening tiny, round eyes in farewell to departing
night.

That gentle fluttering was a sweet lullaby, and Bobby slept and
dreamed—he dreamed that the fluttering became louder and louder, and
that, instead of birds, it was a group of angels that shook their wings
and stood around him as he slept.

One of the angels came nearer and laid a hand upon his head—and Bobby
dreamed that the angel spoke and the words that it said filled Bobby's
heart with unearthly happiness.

"My love! my love!" the angel said, "will you try and live for my sake?"

And Bobby would not open his eyes, for fear the angel should go away.
And though he knew exactly where he was, and could feel the soft carpet
of leaves, and smell the sweet moisture in the air, he knew that he must
still be dreaming, for angels are not of this earth.

Then a strong kind hand touched his wrist, and felt the beating of his
heart, and a rough, pleasant voice said in English: "He is exhausted and
very weak, but the fever is not high: he will soon be all right." And to
add to the wonderful strangeness of his dream, the angel's voice near
him murmured: "Thank God! thank God!"

Why should an angel thank God that he—Bobby Clyffurde—was not likely
to die?

He opened his eyes to see what it all meant, and he saw
[Pg 372]
—bending over
him—a face that was more exquisitely fair than any that man had ever
seen: eyes that were more blue than the sky above, lips that trembled
like rose-leaves in the breeze. He was still dreaming and there was a
haze between him and that perfect vision of loveliness. And the kind,
rough voice somewhere close by said: "Have you got that stretcher
ready?" and two other voices replied, "Yes, Sir."

But the lips close above him said nothing, and it was Bobby now who
murmured: "My love, is it you?"

"Your love for always," the dear lips replied, "nothing shall part us
now. Yours for always to bring you back to life. Yours when you will
claim me—yours for life."

They lifted him onto a stretcher, and then into a carriage and a very
kind face which he quickly enough recognised as Mme. la Duchesse
d'Agen's smiled very encouragingly upon him, whereupon he could not help
but ask a very pertinent question:

"Mme. la Duchesse, is all this really happening?"

"Why, yes, my good man," Madame replied; and indeed there was nothing
dreamlike in her tart, dry voice: "Crystal and I really have dragged Dr.
Scott away from the bedside of innumerable other sick and wounded men,
and also from any hope of well-earned rest to-night: we have also really
brought him to a spot very accurately described by our worthy friend,
St. Genis, but where, unfortunately, you had not chosen to remain, else
we had found you an hour sooner. Is there anything else you want to
know?"

"Oh, yes! Madame la Duchesse, many things," murmured Bobby. "Please go
on telling me."

Madame laughed: "Well!" she said, "perhaps you would like to know that
some kind of instinct, or perhaps the hand of God guided one of our
party to the place where you had gone to sleep. You may also wish to
know, that though you seem in a bad way for the present, you are
[Pg 373]
going
to be nursed back to life under Dr. Scott's own most hospitable roof:
but since Crystal has undertaken to do the nursing, I imagine that my
time for the next six weeks will be taken up in arguing with my dear and
pompous brother that he will now have to give his consent to his
daughter becoming the wife of a vendor of gloves."

Bobby contrived to smile: "Do you think that if I promised never to buy
or sell gloves again, but in future to try and live like a gentleman—do
you think then that he will consent?"

"I think, my dear boy," said Madame, subduing her harsh voice to tones
of gentleness, "that after my brother knows all that I know and all that
his daughter desires, he will be proud to welcome you as his son."

The doctor's wide barouche lumbered slowly along the wide, straight
road. In the east the luminous veil that still hid the rising sun had
taken on a hue of rosy gold: the birds, now fully awake, sang their
morning hymn. From the direction of Wavre came once more the cannon's
roar.

Inside the carriage Dr. Scott, sitting at the feet of his patient, gave
a peremptory order for silence. But Bobby—immeasurably happy and
contented—looked up and saw Crystal de Cambray—no longer a girl now,
but a fair and beautiful woman who had learned to the last letter the
fulsome lesson of Love. She sat close beside him, and her arm was round
his reclining head, and, looking at her, he saw the lovelight in her
dear eyes whenever she turned them on him. And anon, when Mme. la
Duchesse engaged Dr. Scott in a close and heated argument, Bobby felt
sweet-scented lips pressed against his own.

THE END

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRONZE EAGLE***

******* This file should be named 25955-h.txt or 25955-h.zip *******

This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/9/5/25955

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.

*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://www.gutenberg.org/license)
.
Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License.  You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected].  Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact