r some minutes without speaking.
"Fighting in the open field, where hard blows are given and taken, and
man meets man on equal terms, is all very well in its way. I don't
object to sacking a town which holds out when it should have given in,
but the burning down of old ladies' houses, and injuring the property of
people who could not have caused any offence, I cannot stand. I should
like now to discover the officer who was commanding here and allowed
this. I would pick a quarrel with him and call him out to a certainty."

My friend had certainly curious notions, not uncommon among his
countrymen in these days. Sad, indeed, was the scene of havoc and
destruction which met our gaze on every side, not only about the house,
but in the fields and cottages in the surrounding country--war's
melancholy consequences. We had no time to contemplate it.

"Come, O'Driscoll," said I, "we will search through the ruins for my
friend's case, but I scarcely expect to find it."

"Something like looking for a needle in a rick of hay," he answered;
"or, rather, far more hopeless, for it is very unlikely that the case
should have escaped being burnt or carried off."

O'Driscoll, Rockets and I hunted in different directions. I first
endeavoured to find the room which Colonel Carlyon had described to me.
That portion of the house had not suffered so much as the rest; most of
the flooring of the room was burnt, but the fire had been extinguished
before the whole had been consumed. I climbed up to it, not without
risk, for the burnt rafters gave way under my feet. I knew the room
from the position of the window, which looked into a little courtyard.
A portion of the furniture had escaped, though blackened and disfigured.
My hopes revived as to finding the desk. I hunted eagerly round. It
was too evident that everything considered of value had been carried
away. I was about to scramble down again by the way we had come up when
I bethought me of looking out of the window for the enjoyment of the
prospect, which was a very beautiful one. Woods, fields, the terraced
garden, distant hills, and the river rushing by were well combined to
form it. As I looked out, my eye fell on a heap of rubbish in one
corner of the courtyard, with burnt and broken pieces of furniture, and
I fancied that I saw the edge of such a case as I was in search of
sticking out from among them. I quickly descended and found my way to
the spot. I eagerly pulled