along, and up to a special single room which was to be his hospital, and
which Mrs. and Miss Du Plessis and Mrs. Carruthers were prepared to
enter as nurses, so soon as his bearers had put him to bed. Then the
doctor came up with his instruments, cut off the colonel's improvised
bandage and the shirt sleeve, bathed the wound, found and extracted the
bullet, and tied all up tight. The meek dominie bore it all with
patience, and apologized to his surgeon for giving him so much trouble
while he himself was suffering. The three ladies brought the wounded
hero all manner of good things that sick people are supposed to like or
to be allowed to eat and drink, and Wilkinson was in a _dolce far
niente_ elysium. Little Marjorie, having knocked timidly at the door,
came in with some square gaudily-covered books under her arm, and asked
if Mr. Wilks would like her to read to him. She offered the victim his
choice of "Puss in Boots," "Mother Goose," and "Nursery Rhymes"; but
Miss Du Plessis, who, at the sufferer's request, was looking up in
Wordsworth that cheerful theme, The Churchyard in "The Excursion,"
interposed, saying, some other day, when Mr. Wilkinson had grown
stronger, he might perhaps be able to make a selection from her juvenile
library. Marjorie told her cousin that she was sure, if it had been her
Eugene who was sick, he would have liked her to stay and read to him.
She had told Eugene to marry Cecile, but she would never do so any more;
she would give him all to cousin Marjorie.

The three squires sat in council, and agreed to dismiss the nominal
captives on condition of their promising to appear when wanted as
witnesses. This Serlizer at once agreed to. Mr. Walker rode to the post
office and exacted the promise from Mrs. Flower and the masons, thus
depriving the constable of his prey. He was compelled to untie their
hands, and restore the confiscated pocket knives. The masons were
invited to supper at Bridesdale, as was the woman; but the men proposed
to go on to the River, as they had money to pay their way; and Mrs.
Flower, who would not leave Harding's body, was given in charge to the
post mistress. The supper tables in hall and kitchen were very different
from those of the previous night. In the latter, Ben Toner, the
constable, and Maguffin had each a lady to talk to. Their superiors
missed the company of the lawyer, the detective, and Mr. Bigglethorpe,
to say nothing of Mr. Terry. The doctor was stretched out