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After the battle of Vimeira, the brigade to which I was attached had their headquarters at San Pietro, a large convent where all the church plate for miles around was stored up for safety. A sergeant's guard was accordingly stationed over the refectory, and every precaution taken to prevent pillage, Sir Arthur himself having given particular orders on the subject.
The sergeant's military title was henceforth dropped. Mr. Linthorne introduced him to his acquaintances who soon began to flock in, when it was known that the squire's granddaughter had come home, and that he was willing to see his friends and join in society again as "My friend Mr. Wilks, the father of my poor boy's wife." And the impression made was generally favourable.
With an inner contempt for the layman's state of mind on such occasions I assured him of my competency to handle the case. He was impressed, I think, by the sergeant's deference, who knew what it meant to have such an office as ours interfere with the affair.
That they would have succeeded was doubtful, and before she left the room the sound of the sergeant's voice as he roused up his men to change the guard reached their ears, and she had barely time to escape from the room when the heavy tread of the soldiers' feet was heard coming along the passage. The guard at the door started up, not so completely overcome as might have been expected.
I hope you succeed in getting him," he said, turning earnestly to Betty. "And if there's anything I can do to help, you can count on me." Betty thanked him, and the girls watched the Sergeant's straight, retreating back with thoughtful eyes. "Well, it's a comfort anyway," said Mollie, as they turned and went into the house, "to know that he's as bad as we thought he was.
The news brought something of a thrill to Dick, because it had been arranged, by his own suggestion in Sussex, that his promotion to full sergeant's rank should mark the period of quite another probationary term; and here, undoubtedly, was a step toward it.
Gurn also was a bit of a popular hero just then: he had volunteered at the beginning of the war, and came back with a sergeant's stripes and a medal for distinguished conduct. Can Gurn and Lady Beltham have met and got to know each other? It is certain that the lady's behaviour during the trial lent itself to comment, if not exactly to scandal.
He read over the sergeant's report, and then dictated half-a-dozen lines, which that officer wrote down as quickly as he could. "I shall copy it out afterwards," he said, "neat and clean. Go on, my lad, go on." Gray dictated a few more lines, which ended the report in a short, concise manner, and Sergeant Lund's face, which had been all in corrugations, smoothed itself into a satisfied smile.
The warning came not a second too soon. Almost the hound had sprung. "Would you call your dog off, sir?" said Dick. "I guess Sourdough'll call himself off when he's good an' ready," replied the sergeant; and himself strode on across the yard. Once more Jan had to submit to the bitter ordeal of being slashed at by Sourdough's teeth, as the big husky snarlingly passed him in the sergeant's wake.
"Now, look 'ee here, lad, I'm not to be trifled with," said the sergeant. "Where are the rest of your household hidden? Answer; quick." Peter looked into the sergeant's face with a vacant stare, but was silent.
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