parrty that rode with your sister."
"Yes, yes, I remember, I heard the story," said Peter. "She and Mr.
Forsyth got lost."
"Axin' your pardin, sorr, she didn't. Mr. Forsyth loid. Loid like an
officer and a jintleman--as he is, God bless him--to save a leddy, more
betoken your sister, sorr. They never got lost, sorr. We was all three
together from the toime we shtarted till we got back, and it's the love
av God that we ever got back at all. And it's breaking me hearrt, sorr,
to see HIM goin' round with the black looks of everybody upon him, and
he a-twirlin' his moustache and purtending not to mind."
"What do you mean?" said Peter, uneasily.
"Oi mane to be tellin' you what happened, sorr," said Cassidy stoutly.
"When we shtarted out Oi fell three files to the rear, as became me,
so as not to be in the way o' their colloguing, but sorra a bit o'
stragglin' was there, and Oi kept them afore me all the toime. When we
got to Post Oak Bottom the leddy p'ints her whip off to the roight,
and sez she: 'It's a fine bit of turf there, Misther Forsyth,' invitin'
like, and with that she gallops away to the right. The leftenant follys
her, and Oi closed up the rear. So we rides away innoshent like amongst
the trees, me thinkin' only it wor a mighty queer place for manoovrin',
until we seed, just beyond us in the hollow, the smoke of an Injin camp
and a lot of women and childer. And Mrs. Lascelles gets off and goes
to discoursin' and blarneying wid 'em: and Oi sees Mr. Forsyth glancin'
round and lookin' oneasy. Then he goes up and sez something to your
sister, and she won't give him a hearin'. And then he tells her she must
mount and be off. And she turns upon him, bedad, like a tayger, and bids
him be off himself. Then he comes to me and sez he, 'Oi don't like the
look o' this, Cassidy,' sez he; 'the woods behind is full of braves,'
sez he. 'Thrue for you, leftenant,' sez Oi, 'it's into a trap that the
leddy hez led us, God save her!' 'Whisht,' he sez, 'take my horse, it's
the strongest. Go beside her, and when Oi say the word lift her up into
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