," he
wound up, with a snarling laugh.

"Mr. Whitmore a deserter? But how?"

"Ah, you've come to the right man to ask. I bear you no grudge, boy;
and as for Plinlimmon--how's _he_ doing, by the way?"

"I've scarcely seen him since I joined. He passed you just now,
didn't he?"

"Ay, I saw him. For a man in luck's way he carries a queer sort of
face. What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing wrong that I know of. The men reckon him a good officer,
too."

"Well, I'll be even with Master Archibald yet. You hear? But about
Whitmore now--I caught up with him in Lisbon. You see, he'd got this
money off the Jew and he counted on another pocketful from that
Belcher woman. He always was a devil to get around women, 'specially
the old ones. I don't know if you guessed it, that night, but he'd
persuaded the old fool to run off and marry him. Yes, and meantime
he'd taken his passage in one of the Falmouth packets, meaning to
give her the slip--and give me the slip too--as soon as he'd laid
hands on her purse. Well, you headed him off that little plan; and
to save his skin, as you know, he rounded on me. Now what puzzles me
is, how you let him slip?"

I did not answer this.

"The Belcher woman had a hand in it, I'll lay odds. Never mind--
don't you answer if you'd rather not. But when I caught up with him,
he didn't escape _me_: that's to say, he won't: and it'll be a sight
worse for him than if he hadn't tried."

He paused again, and laughed to himself silently--a laugh unhealthy
to watch.

"I came on him in Lisbon streets," he went on; "came on him from
behind and put a hand on his shoulder. He's an almighty coward--
that's his secret--and the way he jumped did me good. 'Recruit for
the North Wilts,' said I. He turned and his knees caved under him.
'Wha--what do you mean by that?' says he"--and here Leicester
burlesqued the poor cold stammering knave to the life--"'Oh, for the
Lord's sake, Leicester, have mercy on me!' 'You'll see the kind of
mercy you're going to get,' says I; 'but meantime you've a choice
between hanging and coming along to join the North Wilts.' 'But why
should I join the North Wilts?' he asked. 'Well, to begin with,' I
said, 'you're a dreadful coward, and there you'll have some chance to
feel what it's really like. And what's more,' I said, 'I'll take
care you're in my company, and I'm going to live beside you and give
you hell. I'm going to eat beside you, sleep beside you, march