The New Forest Spy | Page 9

interval of time during which Waller watched, with a feeling of wonder, the ravenous manner in which his new friend--or enemy--partook of food.
"I am ashamed," he muttered; "I am ashamed. But eat some, too."
"Oh, no; go on," said Waller.
"I can't eat another mouthful unless you join."
"Oh, very well; there is plenty," said Waller, "and seeing you eat has made me hungry, too."
No more words were spoken for a time, and at last, with the hunger of both pretty well assuaged, Waller began to note the humour of the position, and in a half-bantering way exclaimed:
"Here, I say, you ought to leave a snack for the soldiers when they come."
The lad's hand dropped, and he turned, with a wild look, to fix his eyes on Waller's.
"Ah," he said, the next moment, with his face softening, "you are laughing at me."
"Well, suppose I am. It's because I am pleased to see you better now."
"Better! Yes. I think you have saved my life," said the lad softly. "I say, I wish we could be friends--but no; impossible. You could not be, with one like me."
"I don't see why not," said Waller. "We are good enough friends now. There, I am sorry I knocked you about so much and treated you as I did. I didn't know you were so weak and hungry. Will you shake hands?"
"Will I shake hands?" cried the lad, with all the effusion of a young Frenchman, and catching the one which Waller stretched out, he held it tightly for a few moments between his own, holding it until Waller drew it away.
"There," he said, "I must be going back now. There isn't much left, but I must have the empty basket. You had better lie down here and have a good rest, and I will come back to you in the evening and see if I can't think out some way of helping you to get down to Lymington."
"To Lymington? Yes!" cried the boy eagerly; for now that he was somewhat refreshed the light seemed to come back into his eyes, and a certain eagerness into his whole aspect. "But, look here," he said, "a little while ago I thought I had nothing to do but lie down and die; now you have made me feel as if I want to live. Could you--can you find out whether there are any soldiers near?"
"I don't know, but I'll try," said Waller. "But I say, talk about soldiers--we never picked up that pistol, and I don't believe we could find it now."
"Here it is," said the lad, pointing to his breast. "I crawled about till I found it after you had gone."
"Then you had better give it to me to put away. Pistols are nasty things."
Waller held out his hand, but the lad shrank back, with a suspicious look.
"Oh, very well," said Waller, rising; "don't trust me unless you like."
"I do trust you," cried the lad eagerly; and, snatching out the pistol, he pressed it into the other's hand.
"There, they will be wondering what has become of me," cried Waller. "I will come back and see you in the evening, and by then I shall have thought of somewhere for you to hide to-night. Good-bye."
Waller hurried off, thinking deeply to himself, and making the best of his way for about a hundred yards.
"I wish I hadn't brought away his pistol," he said. "He will be thinking again that I am going to betray him. Here, I shall take it back."
He made his way as fast as he could to where he had left his new friend, expecting to see him raise his head as he drew dear; but he looked in vain, for when he reached the spot, and parted the tall bracken, he was unable to find him for a few minutes, and when he did, the figure was recumbent, utterly exhausted, and sleeping hard, while he did not even move as Waller bent over him and carefully thrust the pistol into his breast.
CHAPTER FIVE.
DUTY OR MERCY.
"Oh, here you are, Master Waller!" said Bella, as he marched into the house. "Where have you been?"
"Fishing," said Waller abruptly.
"But why didn't you come back to your dinner?"
"Because I have been out in the forest, and--fishing, I tell you. Why?"
"Because Martha has been in such a way. There was your dinner kept three hours, till it was quite spoiled, and then we said it was no use to keep it any longer; and Martha is in a way."
"What about?" said Waller absently, for his thoughts were still in the forest along with the young stranger.
"Because she says she won't put up with it, and if you are to go in and out of the pantry helping yourself to what you please, she will complain to master as soon as he comes back."
"Oh, very