Barnard, who had a very ready sense of humour, could not help letting his lips twitch at this. Joe saw it, and thought that if he made himself scarce he would escape a flogging, so he put the bowl down, and, with a pleading look cast in Juana’s direction, effaced himself. Barnard went off to headquarters as soon as he had swallowed his breakfast, but came back at ten o’clock with the news that the division would not move that day. Juana, who had been unwontedly silent since the discovery of the Sevres bowl, slipped out, and went in search of West. West was a little startled at being told to saddle his own horse and Tiny, and to put up a feed of corn in his haversack, but Juana said grandly, if untruthfully, that Master knew all about it.
Harry was on the point of setting out for his brigade when Juana came up to him, dressed for riding, and said in a careless tone that she was going to visit one of the wounded officers.
He never interfered with such excursions, and merely nodded now, and told her to take West with her.
‘Oh yes, of course! But do not be alarmed if I am not back till late.’ ‘No, very well,’ Harry said absently, frowning over his order-book.
Digby, coming round the corner of the cottage, overheard this interchange, and not being preoccupied, like Harry, wondered why Juana, going to visit a sick man at ten in the morning, should expect to be back late. He was still puzzling over it when West brought the horses round to the door. He heard Juana ask West if he had remembered the feed of corn, and jumped up, exclaiming: ‘By Jove, the little monkey is up to some mischief!’ It did not take him long to get his own horse saddled, and he was soon riding after Juana, in a northerly direction. He overtook her about a mile from the cottage, and ranged alongside, demanding: ‘Where in the name of heaven are you off to, Juanita? This is no way to take to visit any wounded of ours!’
Juana looked very much put-out, and said crossly: ‘Fuera! I don’t want you!’ ‘No, but only listen! You are going in the wrong direction, really you are!’ ‘I am not! I am going to Mont de Marsan, and I know the way very well.’ ‘Mont de Marsan!’ he ejaculated.-‘My dear girl, you can’t!’ ‘I must. Un caso de necesidad,’ said Juana mysteriously.
‘What need can you possibly-Don’t tell me it is because of that wretched bowl!’ ‘It’s not a wretched bowl! It is the prettiest bowl in the world, and that poor woman’s husband used to drink out of it, and I do not care what you say: I am going to take it back to her!’ ‘Dearest Juana, I do feel for you, indeed I do, but you mustn’t-I’ll tell you what! Give it to me, and I’ll take it for you!’
‘De ningun modo! I must myself take it to her, and beg her pardon.’ ‘It’s fifteen miles there, and there are enemy patrols about!’
‘I am not in the least afraid of enemy patrols,’ said Juana scornfully. ‘No French dragoon could ever catch me on my Spanish horse Tiny. Besides, I have told West to keep a sharp look-out.’
‘Oh dear, what an obstinate little wretch you are!’ said Digby. ‘Very well, if you will go, I must come with you.’
‘A voluntad! But will not Barnard need you?’
‘He’ll have to do without me,’ said Digby. ‘But what Harry will say when he hears of this-!’ ‘Oh, never mind that!’ said Juana cheerfully. ‘Adelante.’
4
Brigade-Major Smith’s duties kept him busy until after dusk. When he came back to his billet, Barnard was pulling off his muddied boots before the fire, and an agreeable aroma of cooking pervaded the cottage.
‘ Is that you, Harry?’ Barnard said, turning his head. ‘Shut the door: there’s a devilish draught blowing in! Have you seen that scamp Bob?’
‘No, sir. I thought he was with you,’ replied Harry, hanging up his cloak. ‘I haven’t set eyes on him all day.’
‘I daresay he went off to see how poor March is going on. Where’s Juana?’ ‘I don’t know. Your rascally servant said she went off this morning to visit a wounded friend.’ Harry looked a little startled. ‘So she did, but she ought to be back by now.’ ‘I hope to God nothing has happened to her!’
‘Oh no! She has far too much sense to get into a scrape. I remember now: she said she might be back late. Will you dine, sir?’
‘No, no, we must wait for Juana!’ said Barnard. ‘The baggage has come up, so you had better change those wet clothes, or I shall have you laid-up on my hands, no good to anyone.’
By the time Harry had followed this piece of advice, Barnard’s French cook, who had arrived that morning with the baggage-train, had bounced into his master’s presence to remonstrate with him in person. ‘The dinner he is spoiled!’ he announced tragically. ‘Go away, sir, go away!’ said Barnard testily. ‘We wait for madame.’ ‘The dinner he will not wait!’
‘Well, it must wait! Keep it hot, and don’t come waving your hands at me!’ ‘Ah, mon Dieu! groaned the cook in anguished tones, ‘Keep it hot, you say! What a pleasantry!’
‘I wish you will have your dinner, sir,’ said Harry, who had just come back into the room. ‘There is no need for you to wait, after all! If only I knew in which direction she had gone!’ ‘Now, don’t begin to get into a fret!’ said Barnard, who had been looking at his watch every other minute since Harry had gone to change his clothes. ‘She will be in directly! Of course we shall wait for her!’
Hearing this, the cook said: ‘It ‘s the death-knell!’ and tottered away to the kitchen, presumably to mourn over the ruin of his art.
‘If that fellow weren’t such a devilish fine cook, I’m damned if I’d put up with him another hour!’ said Barnard. ‘Don’t fidget about the room! Sit down, and be quiet!’ ‘I can’t sit down and be quiet!’ said Harry irritably. ‘If it were your wife, a nice way you’d be in!”
‘Nonsense! What should have happened to her? Depend upon it, she is perfectly safe! And don’t be an impudent young dog, Harry! I may have to swallow that damned cook’s impertinence, but I’ll be hanged if I’ll swallow impertinence from my Brigade-Major! What in the world can be keeping the child?’
‘I don’t know, but if she doesn’t come in within the next quarter of an hour, I shall go and look for her.’
‘In the dark? I never heard such folly! You would miss her for a certainty! Besides, I am convinced there is not the slightest need!’
However, when fifteen minutes had lagged by, and Harry said insubordinately: ‘You may say what you like, Coloneclass="underline" I am going in search of my wife!’ he did not attempt to dissuade him, but replied in a worried tone that it was very disturbing, and he did not know what to do for the best.
Harry reached for his cloak, but before he had time to take it off the peg, the door opened, and Juana came in, very cold and wet, and splashed all over with mud. She raised her brows at sight of the bare table, and said with a little laugh: ‘Well, why did you wait dinner? Order it: I shall soon have my habit off!’
‘Where have you been?’ demanded Harry and Barnard together, in such explosive tones that Juana was quite startled.
She said coaxingly: ‘Oh, don’t be angry! I am not taken prisoner, as you see! I’ve been to Mont de Marsan, to take back the poor widow’s basin.’
‘To Mont de Marsan!’ Harry exclaimed. ‘Upon my word!’ said Barnard. ‘Well done, Juana! You’re a heroine! Why, the Maid of Saragossa is nothing to you!’
She laughed, but stole rather an anxious glance at Harry’s face. ‘Oh no! Only I could not be comfortable until the bowl was given back, so I thought it would be nice to take it myself. I was so glad! She cried with joy when she saw me, and she wanted me very much to keep the bowl, but of course I would not do that.’