“Spoil of war,” I explained with a wide smile, seeing he was too wise to swallow the other story.
He turned and stared at her for a moment.
“My word, you have a pretty taste, citizen,” he said; and his eye gleamed lasciviously. “I think I will release you, my dear, from this dirty brute,” he added to her with a leer he no doubt thought engaging. “You’d rather have a brave fellow like myself, wouldn’t you? Say, wouldn’t you?” and he approached and tweaked her ear. “Of course you would! So it is settled.”
“Citizen,” I interposed, “I shall have a word to say to that. She belongs to me.”
He turned upon me a disdainful countenance.
“Get out, you beast!” he said. “Don’t you see we wish to be relieved of you? You say you are going to Thouars. Well, the door is open. Suppose you start now.”
“When I start my prisoner goes with me,” I said.
He stared at me for a moment as though scarcely able to believe his ears.
“What!” he shouted. “You dispute with me! You—you scum! You insect! You toad! I tell you to get out! I advise you to get out while you are able to use your legs.”
“Pah!” I retorted, rage mastering me. “Save your ass’s voice for those cowards out yonder. I’m not afraid of noise!”