Page:The Yellow Book - 07.djvu/121

 lord in the eyes of the Irish, and he had a castle, such as it was."

"No," responded the captain, on reflection. "He came a long way to bury his Bishop, and he gave him a funeral of distinction to the full measure of his ability. Bear him inside, and let him lie beside his Bishop. They have heads and to spare in Cork without his."

Then after a little pause he lifted his gaze and turned away.

"It may be that you are right," he said again. "It may be they are idolatrous idiots and nothing better; but when I looked upon the old man lying there, the whimsy came to me. I should have liked him to have been my father."

A sharp exclamation of surprise came from the kneeling officer, and the captain wheeled on his heel.

"I'll be sworn I saw it!" the former cried, staring fixedly down at the face on the ground. "When you spoke those words, the old rebel's body stirred, and his death's-head shook itself."

The speaker had a knife out from his belt, and the captain bent to lay a sharply restraining hand on his arm. Together they scrutinized the body before them. It was plainly a corpse.

"My oath on it, he moved!" insisted the kneeling man.

"You dream!" said the captain, stoutly enough, but a little shudder ran through the sigh with which he turned away.