‘M’Arstuna,’ he replied cheerfully. ‘Ah, M’Arstuna fell last week — you’ve been unconscious for a fortnight, you see — with all the honours of war, you know — trumpets blowing, flags flying, just as though they had had the best of it; but for all that, weren’t they glad to go. Israel made for his tents, I can tell you — never saw such a sight in my life.’
‘And Sorais?’ I asked.
‘Sorais — oh, Sorais is a prisoner; they gave her up, the scoundrels,’ he added, with a change of tone — ‘sacrificed the Queen to save their skins, you see. She is being brought up here, and I don’t know what will happen to her, poor soul!’ and he sighed.
‘Where is Curtis?’ I asked.
‘He is with Nyleptha. She rode out to meet us today, and there was a grand to-do, I can tell you. He is coming to see you tomorrow; the doctors (for there is a medical “faculty” in Zu-Vendis as elsewhere) thought that he had better not come today.’
I said nothing, but somehow I thought to myself that notwithstanding the doctors he might have given me a look; but there, when a man is newly married and has just gained a great victory, he is apt to listen to the advice of doctors, and quite right too.
Just then I heard a familiar voice informing me that ‘Monsieur must now couch himself,’ and looking up perceived Alphonse’s enormous black mustachios curling away in the distance.
‘So you are here?’ I said.
‘Mais oui, Monsieur; the war is now finished, my military instincts are satisfied, and I return to nurse Monsieur.’
I laughed, or rather tried to; but whatever may have been Alphonse’s failings as a warrior (and I fear that he did not come up to the level of his heroic grandfather in this particular, showing thereby how true is the saying that it is a bad thing to be overshadowed by some great ancestral name), a better or kinder nurse never lived. Poor Alphonse! I hope he will always think of me as kindly as I think of him.
On the morrow I saw Curtis and Nyleptha with him, and he told me the whole history of what had happened since Umslopogaas and I galloped wildly away from the battle to save the life of the Queen. It seemed to me that he had managed the thing exceedingly well, and showed great ability as a general. Of course, however, our loss had been dreadfully heavy — indeed, I am afraid to say how many perished in the desperate battle I have described, but I know that the slaughter has appreciably affected the male population of the country. He was very pleased to see me, dear fellow that he is, and thanked me with tears in his eyes for the little that I had been able to do. I saw him, however, start violently when his eyes fell upon my face.
As for Nyleptha, she was positively radiant now that ‘her dear lord’ had come back with no other injury than an ugly scar on his forehead. I do not believe that she allowed all the fearful slaughter that had taken place to weigh ever so little in the balance against this one fact, or even to greatly diminish her joy; and I cannot blame her for it, seeing that it is the nature of loving woman to look at all things through the spectacles of her love, and little does she reck of the misery of the many if the happiness of the one be assured. That is human nature, which the Positivists tell us is just perfection; so no doubt it is all right.
‘And what art thou going to do with Sorais?’ I asked her.
Instantly her bright brow darkened to a frown.
‘Sorais,’ she said, with a little stamp of the foot; ‘ah, but Sorais!’
Sir Henry hastened to turn the subject.
‘You will soon be about and all right again now, old fellow,’ he said.
I shook my head and laughed.
‘Don’t deceive yourselves,’ I said. ‘I may be about for a little, but I shall never be all right again. I am a dying man, Curtis. I may die slow, but die I must. Do you know I have been spitting blood all the morning? I tell you there is something working away into my lung; I can feel it. There, don’t look distressed; I have had my day, and am ready to go. Give me the mirror, will you? I want to look at myself.’