ithout, and Dalton, as he was called, stood amongst us.
"What, Darby!" said he, in a voice of something like emotion; "not gone
yet! You know I forbid you coming up here; I suspected what you would be
at. Come, lose no more time; we 'll take care of Mr. Burke for you."
Darby hung his head sorrowfully, and left the room without speaking,
followed by Dalton, whose voice I heard in a tone of anger as he
descended the stairs.
There was a certain openness, an easy air of careless freedom, in the
young Frenchman, which made me feel at home in his company almost the
very moment of our acquaintance; and when he asked some questions about
myself and my family, I hesitated not to tell him my entire history,
with the causes which had first brought me into Darby's society, and led
me to imbibe his doctrines and opinions. He paused when I finished, and
after reflecting for some minutes, he looked me gravely in the face, and
said,--
"But you are aware of the place you are now in?"
"No," said I; "further than the fact of my having enjoyed a capital
night's rest and eaten an excellent breakfast, I know nothing about it."
A hearty burst of laughter from my companion followed this very candid
acknowledgment on my part.
"Then, may I ask, what are your intentions for the future? Have you
any?"
"At least one hundred," said I, smiling; "but every one of them has
about as many objections against it. I should like much, for instance,
to be a soldier,--not in the English service though. I should like to
belong to an army where neither birth nor fortune can make nor mar a
man's career. I should like, too, to be engaged in some great war of
liberty, where with each victory we gained the voices of a liberated
people would fall in blessings upon us. And then I should like to raise
myself to high command by some great achievement."
"And then," said the Frenchman, interrupting, "to come back to Ireland,
and cut off the head of this terrible Monsieur Basset. N'est-ce pas,
Tom?"
I could not help joining in his laugh against myself; although in good
truth I had felt better pleased if he had taken up my enthusiasm in a
different mood.
"So much for mere dreaming!" said I, with half a sigh, as our laughter
subsided.
"Not so," said he, quickly,--"not so; all you said is far more
attainable than you suspect. I have been in such a service myself. I won
my 'grade' as officer at the point of my sword, when scarcely your age;
and befo
|