"And now, shall we attend to Mr.
Saffron?"
They carried out that office, the course of which they had originally
prepared. Beaumaroy passed with his burden hard by the Sergeant, and Mary
followed. In a quarter of an hour they came downstairs again, and Mary
again led the way into the parlor. She went to the window, and drew the
curtains aside a little way. The lights of the car were burning; the
Captain's tall figure fell within their rays and was plainly visible,
strolling up and down; the ambit of the rays did not, however, embrace
the Tower window. The Captain paced and smoked, patient, content, gone
back to his own happy memories and anticipations. Mary returned to the
table and set her candle down on it.
"All right. I think we can keep him a little longer."
"I vote we do," said Beaumaroy. "I reckon he's scared the fellows away,
and they won't come back so long as they see his lights."
Rash at conclusions sometimes--as has been seen--Beaumaroy was right in
his opinion of the Captain's value as a sentry, or a scarecrow to keep
away hungry birds.
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