The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II), by
Charles James Lever

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Title: Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)

Author: Charles James Lever

Illustrator: Phiz.

Release Date: April 6, 2010 [EBook #31902]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOM BURKE II ***

Produced by David Widger

TOM BURKE OF "OURS."

By Charles Lever

With Illustrations By Phiz.

In Two Volumes, Vol. II.

Transcriber's Note: Two print editions have been used for this Project
Gutenberg Edition of "Tom Burke of 'Ours'": The Little Brown edition
(Boston) of 1913 with illustrations by Phiz; and the Chapman and Hall
editon (London) of 1853 with illustrations by Browne. Illegible and
missing pages were found in both print editions.

DW

TOM BURKE OF "OURS"

CHAPTER I. THE SICK LEAVE.

"What is it, Minette?" said I, for the third time, as I saw her lean her
head from out the narrow casement, and look down into the valley beside
the river; "what do you see there?"

"I see a regiment of infantry coming along the road from Ulm," said she,
after a pause; "and now I perceive the lancers are following them, and
the artillery too. Ah! and farther again, I see a great cloud of dust.
_Mere de Ciel!_ how tired and weary they all look! It surely cannot be a
march in retreat; and, now that I think of it, they have no baggage, nor
any wagons with them."

"That was a bugle call, Minette! Did you not hear it?"

"Yes, it's a halt for a few minutes. Poor fellows! they are sadly
exhausted; they cannot even reach the side of the way, but are lying
down on the very road. I can bear it no longer. I must find out what
it all means." So saying, she threw round her a mantle which, Spanish
fashion, she wore over her head, and hurried from the room.

For some time I waited patiently for her return; but when half an
hour elapsed, I arose and crept to the window. A succession of rocky
precipices descended from the terrace on which the house stood, down
to the very edge of the Danube, and from the point where I sat the view
extended for miles in every direction. What, then, was my astonishment
to