Fix Bay'nets Part 30

"Ah!" cried Bracy, flushing slightly, as he mentally pictured the scene.

"How bravely our lads do stand by their officers!"

"They do. Good fellows; brave boys. I like the way, too, in which that chap Gedge waits on you."

"Yes," said Bracy, with a sigh; "and the poor fellow is not fit to be about. Morton owned to it; but he will wait on me hand and foot, to that horrible woman's disgust."

"What! Mrs Gee?"

Bracy nodded.

"Well, she is a disagreeable, tyrannical sort of female Jack-in-office; but she has her good points."

"Yes; but they're such sharp points, and they p.r.i.c.k dreadfully."

"Ha, ha!" laughed Roberts. "A joke; and you say you're not getting better.--I say, what were we talking about? Oh, Gedge. I wish he wasn't such an awful East-end c.o.c.kney in his ways, for he's a splendid fellow inside. Times and times he has brightened the poor fellows up out yonder, singing and telling stories and playing some of his india-rubber games, bad as his own wounds are. I believe he'd pretend to laugh even if he were dying."

"I can never be grateful enough to him," sighed Bracy.

"Oh yes, you can. We must all pet.i.tion for him to get his stripes as soon as we can, only it will make old Gee mad with jealousy."

"Yes," said Bracy thoughtfully; and then: "How long have I been lying here?"

"Three weeks, old man."

"And you are no further with the Dwats?"

"Not a bit. That thrashing we gave them together when you went down ought to have settled 'em and made 'em sue for peace; but they began sniping at us the very next day."

"It seems to be their nature to be always fighting," sighed Bracy.

"Yes. I don't believe they could live without it. They must fight something or somebody, and regularly enjoy a good skirmish."

"You haven't said anything about Colonel Wrayford the last day or two."

"No, poor fellow! he's in a very low state. Between ourselves, boy, we only came just, in time."

"What, do you mean?"

"To save Ghittah. Those fellows would have done their best; but they would have been overmatched, and without their Colonel they'd have given way at last, and the people at home would have been reading of a terrible reverse in the Dwat district. Ma.s.sacre of the British force."

"Not so bad as that surely."

"I don't know. Poor Wrayford had worked till he was utterly exhausted, body and mind, and as soon as Graves began to relieve him of part of the strain it was just as if something snapped, and he curled up at once.

Morton says it was all from overstrain after his wound, and that he'll want a twelvemonth at home to get back his strength."

"I beg pardon, sir," said a hard, acid voice; "it is quite time Mr Bracy had his lunch."

Roberts turned quickly upon the stern, frowning, youngish woman who had entered silently in a pair of home-made list slippers, and stood in the doorway gazing at him fixedly.

"That's right, Mrs Gee," said Roberts; "bring it in, and feed him up well, for he wants it, poor fellow!"

"Mr Bracy has everything, sir," said the woman coldly, "and given him to the minute when there's no one here."

"Oh, I'm n.o.body," said Roberts good-humouredly.

"No, sir."

"Eh? Oh, all right; bring in his lunch.--Hang the woman! I didn't mean that," he said to himself.

"No, sir; not while you are here," replied the woman in the most uncompromising way. "Mr Bracy can't lift his arms yet, and I have to give him his meals, and it troubles him for any one to see him fed."

"Yes, yes, of course. I ought to have known, Mrs Gee. Where is the lunch?"

"Being kept hot for him, sir."

"Go and fetch it, then, and I'll be off the moment you come."

Mrs Gee said nothing, but turned silently and disappeared, while Roberts rose and leaned over the bed.

"The tyrant of the sickroom, old boy. Never mind; she's a capital nurse, and sympathetic under her hard sh.e.l.l. But I say, old fellow, can you imagine it to be possible that Gee fell in love with that female dragon?"

"No," said Bracy, smiling. "It seems impossible. One can't understand these things. I don't mind her so much now, but I do wish she wouldn't be quite so hard on poor Gedge."

"Poor lad; no. What's that, though?--the click of crockery. Only fancy the willow-pattern plate out here in the hills!"

"Not so far out of place," said Bracy, smiling. "Chinese pattern, and we are very near to China."

"Good-bye, old man," said Roberts hastily. "Here she comes. Never mind about shaking hands yet. Do it in a look. Good-bye. See you to-morrow--if I don't get knocked over first," he added to himself; and, bonding low, as there was a short, hard cough outside, evidently meant for a signal to him to depart, he laid one hand upon Bracy's shoulder, the other on his brow, and gave him a very brotherly look and smile.

"You'll be all right soon, my helpless old c.o.c.kalorum," he cried cheerily. "There, pitch into your corn well, and grow strong. Ta, ta!"

He turned quickly to cross the room, and then made a bound a yard away in his astonishment, for he received a tremendous blow across the loins, which made him turn sharply to gaze in wonder at his helpless friend, who was looking at him wildly.

"What the d.i.c.kens did you do that for?" he asked.

"I beg pardon, sir. I thought you said--"

"Yes, yes, all right, Mrs Gee, I'm off," he cried; and he hurried away and out into the great court, where he pa.s.sed one hand behind him to begin softly rubbing his spine.

"Is the poor fellow off his head?" he muttered in his wonderment and confusion. "Helpless and weak? Why, it was enough to break a fellow's back. Has he got a club in the bed?"

Roberts stopped short, as if about, to turn back.

"Ought I to go and warn that woman of his antics? No; she could summon help directly, and--"

"Morning, sir. Find Mr Bracy better, sir?"

Roberts looked up sharply, to find Gedge, with his face looking very thin and more angular than ever, leaning as far as he could out of a narrow window.