"Oh, Bob! if you could have delayed for a half hour, the ship would have
sailed, and I should have been free!" sighed Sybil.
"I did all I could to make a delay. I put laudanum in his coffee last
night. I was afraid to put in too much for fear of killing him, so I
suppose I didn't put in enough, for he laid wide awake all night."
"Ah, yes! that would be the effect of an under-dose of laudanum."
"Well then, Ma'am, I put back our watches a whole hour. But, bless you,
he didn't go by the watches, he went by the sun; and as soon as it was
light he was up, and he sent me down to order an early breakfast. And
then I got a chance to put laudanum in his coffee again, and this time I
overdid it and put in too much, for he tasted something wrong, and he
said it was vile stuff, and he wouldn't drink it! No, Miss--Ma'am, I
didn't neglect no means to let you get clean off. But you see it was no
go this time; and I had to help old Purley to arrest you. I'm glad you
didn't know me, hows'ever. And I would advise you not to know me at all
whenever old Purley is about. Keep dark, Miss Sybil, and I'll find a way
to get you off. I haven't been hiding and seeking and hunting among the
red-skins these eight years for nothing. Hish-sh! Here they come,"
whispered Bob Munson, creeping away to the other end of the room, and
putting himself on guard.
The elder officer unlocked the door, and entered, followed by Mr.
Berners. He announced that the wagon was at the door, and that they
were ready to start on the return journey. And then Purley gave his arm
to Sybil, and led her to the wagon, and placed her on the back seat,
while Mr. Berners and Bob Munson lingered behind, the former to gather
up Sybil's little personal effects, and the latter to settle the hotel
bill. But there was no opportunity, among the crowd of guests and
servants, for Munson to make his friendly intentions known to Mr.
Berners by any other means than a significant look and a pressure of the
hand, which Lyon Berners could not more than half understand. He felt,
however, that in his younger officer he and his unhappy wife had a
friend. They went out together, followed closely by the hostler, who
wanted his own fee; but both Mr. Berners and Bob Munson were too much
annoyed by his presence to feel like rewarding his attendance.
Lyon Berners mounted to the seat beside his wife, and Bob Munson to that
beside Purley, who held the reins. And in this manner they set out on
their return journey.