Page:Joan, the curate.djvu/24

18 "You have no work for me, sir?" she asked, as the lieutenant came up.

"None, madam; and even less for your good father than we feared might be the case. He has found the bullet, and 'twill be an easy matter to extract it, so he says; and after that, 'tis a mere matter of a few days' quiet to set the poor fellow on his legs again. So the rascals escaped murder this time; not that one crime more or less would sit hard on the conscience of such villains!"

For a moment Joan said nothing. Then she hazarded, in a very dry, demure voice—

"But, sir, by what I heard, your side went as near committing murder as the other. The man who brought us hither spoke of a bullet in the leg of one of the fishermen."

"Fishermen! Odds my life, madam, but that's a very pretty way of putting it! I hope you han't the same kindness for the rascals that seems to be strong among the country-folk here! Nay, I won't do you the injustice to suppose you could hold their villainies in aught but abhorrence."

"Whatever is villainous I hope I abhor very properly," answered Joan with spirit. "And