“How do you feel, Mr. Conway?”

“I feel quite comfortable,” Ralph said, “but shall be glad of a drink.  Where is my man?”

“He is asleep there in the corner,” the surgeon said.  “I will give you a drink of lemonade.  The poor fellow is worn out, no doubt.”

“Oh, yes; please don’t wake him,” Ralph said.  “I am glad he is asleep; for he had all that terrible day yesterday, and was on his feet all night.  I shan’t want anything but this lemonade; and I have no doubt I shall go straight off to sleep again as soon as you have gone.”

It was not until just one o’clock that Denis woke.  He at once got up and went to Ralph’s side.  The latter opened his eyes.

“How do you feel now, your honor?”

“Oh, I am getting on very well, Denis.  My arm hardly hurts me at all at present.  I expect it will ache worse presently.”

“I have been having a few minutes’ sleep your honor.  And now, if you don’t want me for a minute, I will run down and see about breakfast.  I should think it must be nearly ready.”

“See about dinner, you mean, Denis.  Why, it’s just one o’clock.”

“One o’clock!  Your honor must be dreaming.”

“I don’t think so, Denis.  There is my watch on the table.”

“Why, your honor does not mean to say,” Denis said in great astonishment, “that I have been sleeping for five hours?  The watch must have gone wrong.”

“The watch is right enough, Denis.  I heard it strike twelve by the church clocks before I dozed off last time.  Why, the surgeons came in at ten o’clock and gave me some lemonade.”

“And me to know nothing about it!  Denis Mulligan, you ought to be ashamed of yourself—­slaping like a pig in a stye, with your master laying wounded there beside you, and no one to look after him.  I just laid down for five minutes’ nap, your honor, seeing that you had gone off into a beautiful sleep, and never dreamed of more than that.”

“It was the best thing you could do, Denis.  You had been twenty-four hours on your feet, and you would have been fit for nothing if you hadn’t had a good rest.  Now go downstairs and get your dinner, and when you come back again you can bring me up a basin of broth and a piece of bread.  I begin to feel hungry; and that’s a capital sign, I believe.”

When Ralph had finished his broth he said to Denis, “I shan’t want anything now for some time, Denis.  You can put a glass of lemonade within reach of my hand, and then I shall do very well for an hour or two.  I am quite sure you must be dying for a pipe; so go out and take a turn.  It will freshen you up; and you can bring me back what news you can gather as to the losses yesterday, and whether the army started in pursuit of the French.”

It was some time before Denis would consent to leave the room; but at last, seeing that Ralph really wished it, he went out for an hour, and returned full of the rumors he had picked up of the terrible losses of the British, and the utter rout of the French army.  The next morning Ralph had a great surprise; for just as he had finished his breakfast there was a tap at the door, and a lady entered.  Ralph could hardly believe his eyes as his mother ran forward to the bed.  But the pressure of her arms and her kisses soon showed him that it was a reality.