The Soldier's Wife — page 153: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

.84 THE SOLDIERS WIFE know he has been flogged twice: but Ill beymere automaton—moving indeed only because bound you do not know that he has been |his comrade on his right and his comrade on his branded! = Yes—branded like another Cain !}left| moved in a particular way, and went Ask him to show the letter ID stamped just|through particular manipulations with the mus under his left arm: ask him to show you that/|ket. All that Lonsdale did waa purely meehani- “The eternal enemy of your husband, “OBADIAH BATES. “P.S. Dont let him flatter himself, if he sees; incomprehensible sound in his ears, this. that because it bears the London. post- ; | mark [ shall be easily found out, I am not quite such a fool,” A low moan, like one of mortal anguish, es- eaped slowly from the throat of Frederick Lons- dale, when he reached that part in the letter which revealed the secret of what he regarded as the crowning ignominy of his life. All hell nppeared to rage in his breast ; and if Obadiah Bates had entered the room at that moment, Lonsdale would have assassinated him then and there. When he had finished the letter, he crushed it with convulsive violence in his hands ; then he tore it with a sort of rabid fury into the minutest fragments, and stamped upon them with rage. His countenance was white as a sheet; but his features writhed spasmodically— his eyes literally glared. ‘The feroeity of a hy- ena possessed the unfortunate man at that mo- ment. The woman of the house, who was un- acquainted with the contents of the letter, gazed Upon him in astonishment—the boy im the stu- por of dismay. Lucy was now recovering ; and opening her eyes, she shrieked on beholding her husband—for the conviction flashed in a moment to her mind that he had read that fearful letter. |“ [ know you have. He rushed towards her—he raised her up on the | But where's the blame, after all ? bed—he strained her to his breast: she wound !drown her arms about his neck, embracing him with an almost frantic vehemence. When the first par- oxysm of emotions was past, he beckoned the laudlady to withdraw: and then all in a mo-|dale,in an abstracted mood. ment a sudden change came over him. ‘Tie dark mood seized «pon him ; and he stood, with folded arms, gazing upon his wife and child with an expression of dreary, dismal, forlorn despair. Lucy, now galvanized as it were into complete life, sprang from the couch—folded her hus- band again in her arms—and besought him to be comforted. “Lucy,” he said, in a deep hollow whisper, which she alone heard, and the sense of which the boy could not catch: “am I not a branded wretch? am | fit to possess the love of a pure and spotless being such as you ¢” “Oh, Frederick ! what words are these !” she murmured, amidst convulsions of grief. “Is it possible that my love could be changed towards you# For God’s sake talk not thus to me avain !’—then as a sudden reminiscence flashed to her mind, she said, “ But how is it that you are here? The parade i “rue !” ejaculated Lousdale ; and in a_bit- ter tone he added, “They must not have an opportunity of stigmatizing me as a deserter ayain ‘’ With these words, he burst away from the esevce of his wife and ehild, and reached the kere only just in time to put on his cross- belts—seize his musket—and fall into the ranks, But throughout tha parade be moved like a eal. He heard not the words of command : even the musie of the band was but a dull, droning His com- rades neurest to him saw that he was very strange, and fancied that he was intoxicated— although his countenance was pale us ashes, Fortunate was it for him that neither Langley nor any of the officers noticed his peculiarity of manner; or else he would indeed have been de nounced as under the influence of liquor, and would have been punished accordingly, He felt like a man who was walking in a dream: a hideous nightmare was weighing upon him, paralyzing lis mind, but not the power of physi- cal locomotion. When the parade was over, he was awakened from that stupor of the senses by the questions with which he was plied by those of his comrades who had especially marked his singular mood, “Why, Lonsdale, my dear fellow,” said one, In a tone of good natured banter, “ you are breaking out. This is quite a new thing for you, isnt it? You must take deuced good care that Langley don’t see you: for mind, your name is down in the black book.” “Why, what do you think?” ejaculated Fre- derick, almost fiercely: “that 1 have been drinking 9” “1 don’t think about it,” was the response : Anybody can tell that, One must one’s cares sometimes: and heaven knows that us poor devils of private soldiers have got enough of them at times ?” “Ah! drown one’s cares?” repeated Long “ Docs drink do > that ¢” “ Wliy, of course it does: and I should fancy that though you are such a sober fellow, you must know that a yvlass of good ale warms the heart—but a glass of orandy better still, if one has got money enough to get If.” “Ah! brandy warms the heart,” said Lons- dale, again repeating the other’s words with the slow and deliberate air of a man who has just received a hint suggesting a new idea. “Why, what on earth is the matter with you? You're just tipsy enough to be stupid, without being tipsy enough to be gay.” “Guay! Would liquor make me gay? Then come along, halfa-dozen of you, and I will stand treat at the canteen, Anything,” he cried, in the half maniac pitch of exultation to which despair itself sometimes rises—“ any- thing to get rid of this feeling here /’—and with the fingers of his right hand he pointed to the spot under his left arm where the indelible letter had been branded. “It seems to burn like red bot iron !’’—he continued, with increas ing excitement, while his eyes shot forth sinis- ter fires. “Come along, I say, balfa-dozen of you—and we will have brandy to drown our cares,” Half wild—with tet a dim recollection of ha wife and son,—or rather, still more frenziedly (ele) Eomicbooks