person mentioned on it, sir." The
trooper pulled from his breast a piece of paper soiled and crumpled,
and George, wondering much, took it at the man's hands. His foot still
on his fallen foe, Fairburn unfolded the dirty and tattered paper. It
was the cover of a letter, and he read with staring eyes the address
on it, "To Captain M. Blackett,--Dragoons." The handwriting he well
knew; it was that of Mary Blackett.

"Great Heaven!" the reader cried, "where did you get this?"

"It was given me by a poor fellow, an officer, who escaped from the
big explosion at Tournai. He blundered by mistake into our lines, and
our fellows were about to finish him--leastways one chap was, but I
landed him one between his two eyes, and that stopped his game."

"And you saved the Englishman's life?"

"I did, sir; I thought it hard luck when the young fellow had just
escaped that terrific blow up as he had, to put an end to him the
minute after."

"Get up, for God's sake, man; you have saved the life of my dearest
friend!" And seizing the Irishman's arm, George pulled him to his
feet, and wrung the hand hard in his own. "You are a fine fellow, a
right fine fellow. What is your name? I shall never forget you."

"Sergeant Oborne, sir, at your service. But you have not read the
paper yet."

"True," and George deciphered the line or two written in pencil on the
back of the paper. "I am alive and well, but a prisoner with the
French. Be easy about me; I am well treated. M.B."

CHAPTER XII

CONCLUSION

Almost before Captain Fairburn had read the last word of Matthew's
communication, so cheering and so strangely brought into his hands,
the French signal to retreat sounded loud all over the field, a
mournful sound to one of the two listeners, a delight to the other,
George and Oborne glanced into each other's face. "What will you do?"
the former asked.

"I am your prisoner and defenceless; it is not for me to say," the
Irishman answered simply.

"Nay, not so, good fellow. You shall do exactly as you prefer, so far
as I am concerned. I can do no less for you."

The prisoner shrugged his shoulders and muttered something about
catching it hot, if he ran, to which the captor replied, "So you
would, I am afraid, if any of our men got near you. We have lost
heavily, and our temper's a bit ruffled for the moment. If you care to
come with me as my prisoner I'll see you through safe. What's more,
I'll do my best to get you exchanged