XLI. JOHN MARCHES INTO THE NIGHT
During this exciting time John Loveday seldom or never appeared at themill. With the recall of Bob, in which he had been sole agent, hismission seemed to be complete.
One mid-day, before Anne had made any change in her manner of living onaccount of her unexpected acquisition, Lieutenant Bob came in rathersuddenly. He had been to Budmouth, and announced to the arrested sensesof the family that the --th Dragoons were ordered to join Sir ArthurWellesley in the Peninsula.
These tidings produced a great impression on the household. John hadbeen so long in the neighbourhood, either at camp or in barracks, thatthey had almost forgotten the possibility of his being sent away; andthey now began to reflect upon the singular infrequency of his callssince his brother's return. There was not much time, however, forreflection, if they wished to make the most of John's farewell visit,which was to be paid the same evening, the departure of the regimentbeing fixed for next day. A hurried valedictory supper was preparedduring the afternoon, and shortly afterwards John arrived.
He seemed to be more thoughtful and a trifle paler than of old, butbeyond these traces, which might have been due to the natural wear andtear of time, he showed no signs of gloom. On his way through the townthat morning a curious little incident had occurred to him. He waswalking past one of the churches when a wedding-party came forth, thebride and bridegroom being Matilda and Festus Derriman. At sight of thetrumpet-major the yeoman had glared triumphantly; Matilda, on her part,had winked at him slily, as much as to say--. But what she meant heavenknows: the trumpet-major did not trouble himself to think, and passed onwithout returning the mark of confidence with which she had favoured him.
Soon after John's arrival at the mill several of his friends dropped infor the same purpose of bidding adieu. They were mostly the men who hadbeen entertained there on the occasion of the regiment's advent on thedown, when Anne and her mother were coaxed in to grace the party by theirsuperior presence; and their well-trained, gallant manners were such asto make them interesting visitors now as at all times. For it was aperiod when romance had not so greatly faded out of military life as ithas done in these days of short service, heterogeneous mixing, andtransient campaigns; when the esprit de corps was strong, and longexperience stamped noteworthy professional characteristics even on rankand file; while the miller's visitors had the additional advantage ofbeing picked men.
They could not stay so long to-night as on that earlier and more cheerfuloccasion, and the final adieus were spoken at an early hour. It was nomere playing at departure, as when they had gone to Exonbury barracks,and there was a warm and prolonged shaking of hands all round.
'You'll wish the poor fellows good-bye?' said Bob to Anne, who had notcome forward for that purpose like the rest. 'They are going away, andwould like to have your good word.'
She then shyly advanced, and every man felt that he must make some prettyspeech as he shook her by the hand.
'Good-bye! May you remember us as long as it makes ye happy, and forgetus as soon as it makes ye sad,' said Sergeant Brett.
'Good-night! Health, wealth, and long life to ye!' said Sergeant-majorWills, taking her hand from Brett.
'I trust to meet ye again as the wife of a worthy man,' said TrumpeterBuck.
'We'll drink your health throughout the campaign, and so good-bye t'ye,'said Saddler-sergeant Jones, raising her hand to his lips.
Three others followed with similar remarks, to each of which Anneblushingly replied as well as she could, wishing them a prosperousvoyage, easy conquest, and a speedy return.
But, alas, for that! Battles and skirmishes, advances and retreats,fevers and fatigues, told hard on Anne's gallant friends in the comingtime. Of the seven upon whom these wishes were bestowed, five, includingthe trumpet-major, were dead men within the few following years, andtheir bones left to moulder in the land of their campaigns.
John lingered behind. When the others were outside, expressing a finalfarewell to his father, Bob, and Mrs. Loveday, he came to Anne, whoremained within.
'But I thought you were going to look in again before leaving?' she saidgently.
'No; I find I cannot. Good-bye!'
'John,' said Anne, holding his right hand in both hers, 'I must tell yousomething. You were wise in not taking me at my word that day. I wasgreatly mistaken about myself. Gratitude is not love, though I wanted tomake it so for the time. You don't call me thoughtless for what I did?'
'My dear Anne,' cried John, with more gaiety than truthfulness, 'don'tlet yourself be troubled! What happens is for the best. Soldiers lovehere to-day and there to-morrow. Who knows that you won't hear of myattentions to some Spanish maid before a month is gone by? 'Tis the wayof us, you know; a soldier's heart is not worth a week's purchase--ha,ha! Goodbye, good-bye!'
Anne felt the expediency of his manner, received the affectation as real,and smiled her reply, not knowing that the adieu was for evermore. Thenwith a tear in his eye he went out of the door, where he bade farewell tothe miller, Mrs. Loveday, and Bob, who said at parting, 'It's all right,Jack, my dear fellow. After a coaxing that would have been enough to winthree ordinary Englishwomen, five French, and ten Mulotters, she has to-day agreed to bestow her hand upon me at the end of six months. Good-bye,Jack, good-bye!'
The candle held by his father shed its waving light upon John's face anduniform as with a farewell smile he turned on the doorstone, backed bythe black night; and in another moment he had plunged into the darkness,the ring of his smart step dying away upon the bridge as he joined hiscompanions-in-arms, and went off to blow his trumpet till silenced forever upon one of the bloody battle-fields of Spain.
Footnotes:
{207} _Vide_ Preface.
{211} _Vide_ Preface.
{225} _Vide_ Preface.
{272} _Vide_ Preface.
{303} _Vide_ Preface.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends