"Did you see Colonel Aubrey after he was wounded?"
"I only had a glimpse of him, as they brought him in. Miss Irene, he was shot in the breast."
"You know the way; ride outside; and, Cyrus, drive as fast as possible."
By the glimmer of the carriage lamps she could see the wagons going to and fro, some filled with empty coffins, some with mangled sufferers. Now and then weary, spent soldiers sat on the roadside, or struggled on toward the city which they had saved, with their arms in slings, or hands bound up, or bloody bandages across their stern faces. After another hour, when the increasing number of men showed proximity to the scene of danger, Cyrus turned away from the beaten track, and soon the flash of lights and the hum of voices told that they were near the place of destination. The carriage stopped, and Cyrus came to the door.
"We are at the lines, and I can't drive any nearer. If you will wait, I will go and find master."
The delay seemed intolerably long, and for the first time an audible moan escaped Irene just as Cyrus came back accompanied by a muffled figure.
"Irene, my child."
She leaned out till her face nearly touched Dr. Arnold's.
"Only tell me that he is alive, and I can bear all else."
"He is alive, and sleeping just now. Can you control yourself if I take you to him?"