.

"Indeed, Lawrence," she whispered, "am I not a soldier's daughter? I
ought to say this is no place for you. Go, and make your arrangements
for our defence."

I don't think any one but me saw the look of love she gave him as she
took sponge and lint from his hand, pressing it as she did so, and then
her pale face lit up with a smile as she met his eyes; the next moment
she was kneeling by the wounded trooper, and in a quiet firm way helping
Mrs Bantem, in a manner that made her, poor woman, stare with
astonishment.

"God bless you, my darling," she whispered to her, as soon as they had
done, and the poor fellow was lying still--a toss-up with him whether it
should be death or life; and I saw Mrs Bantem take Miss Ross's soft
white hand between her two great rough hard palms, and kiss it just
once.

"And I'd always been abusing and running her down for a fine madam, good
for nothing but to squeak songs, and be looked at," Mrs Bantem said to
me, a little while after. "Why, Isaac Smith, we shall be having that
little maid shewing next that there's something in her."

"And why not?" I said gruffly.

"Ah, to be sure," says she, with a comical look out of one eye; "why
not? But, Isaac, my lad," she said sadly, and looking at me very
earnestly, "I'm afraid there's sore times coming; and if so, God in
heaven help those poor bairns! Oh, if I'd been a man, and been there!"
she cried, as she recollected what the trooper had told us; and she
shook her fist fiercely in the air. "It's what I always did say:
soldiers' wives have no business to have children; and it's rank cruelty
to the poor little things to bring them into the world."

Mrs Bantem then went off to see to her patient, while I walked into the
court, wondering what would come next, and whether, in spite of all the
little bitternesses and grumbling, everybody, now some of the stern
realities of life were coming upon us, would shew up the bright side of
his or her nature and somehow I got very hopeful that they would.

I felt just then that I should have much liked to have a few words with
Lizzy Green, but I had no chance, for it was a busy time with us.
Captain Dyer felt strongly enough his responsibility, and not a minute
did he lose in doing all he could for our defence; so that after an
anxious day, with nothing more occurring, when I looked round at what
had been done in barricading and so on, it seemed to me, speaking as a
soldier, that, as far as I