On the
other hand, the seal of Marmont's letter had been broken in his keeping;
a serious matter for a young officer, and one which he would naturally
desire to defer explaining. At Tolosa he accounted for his wound by
some tale of brigands and a chance shot at long range. On the morrow we
rode to Irun and crossed the Bidassoa. We were now on French soil.
Throughout the morning he had spoken little, and I too had preferred my
own thoughts. But now, as we broke our fast and cracked a bottle
together at the first tavern on the French shore, I opened fire by
asking him if he yet carried the Marshal's letter with the broken seal.
'To be sure,' said he. 'And what will you do with it?' I went on.
'Why, deliver it, I suppose, to the Governor of Bayonne, to whom it is
addressed.' 'And, when asked to account for the broken seal, you will
tell him the exact truth about it and the rescue?' 'I must,'
he answered; 'and I hope my report will help you, sir. It will not be
my fault if it does not.' 'You are an excellent fellow,' said I;
'but it will help me little. You do not know the contents of that
letter as I do--not willingly, but because it was read aloud in my
presence by the man who opened it.' And, before he could remonstrate, I
had told him its purport. Now, sir, that was not quite fair to the
young man, and I am not sure that it was strictly honourable?"

Captain McNeill paused with a question in his voice."

"Proceed, sir," said the Doctor: "I reserve this as Question Number
Three, remarking only that the young man owed you something for having
saved his life."

"Just so; and that is where the unfairness came in. He was
inexpressibly shocked. 'Why,' he cried, 'the Marshal had put you under
parole!' 'So far as the frontier,' said I. 'The promise upon which I
swore was that I would not consent to be released by the _partidas_ on
my journey through Spain. Once in France, I could not escape his
vengeance. Now for this very reason I have a right to interpret my
promise strictly, and I consider that during the past half-hour my
parole has expired.' 'I cannot deny it,' he allowed, and took a pace or
two up and down the room, then halted in front of me. 'You would
suggest, sir, that since this letter was taken from me by the
_partidas_, and you and I alone know that it was restored, I owe you the
favour of suppressing it.' 'Good Heavens! my young friend,' I
exclaimed, 'I suggest nothing of the sort. I may