“The French officer? Yes, he escaped early in the business. I know he must be far off by this time; Heaven knows which way, though.”
“Maybe I could guess,” said Darby, quietly. “Well, well! it 's hard to know what 's best. Sometimes it would seem the will of God that we are n't to succeed; and if we hadn't right on our side, it would not be easy to bear up against such misfortunes as these.”
There was a silence on both sides after these words, during which I pandered them well in my mind.
“Come, Mister Tom!” said Darby, suddenly; “'tis time we were moving. You 're not safe here no more nor others. Basset is looking for you everywhere, and you 'll have to leave the neighborhood, for a while at least. Your friend, the captain, too, is gone; his regiment marched yesterday. So now make up your mind what to do.”
“That's easily done, Darby,” said I, attempting to seem at ease. “Whichever is your road shall be mine, if you let me.”
“Let you? Yes, with a hearty welcome, too, my darling! But the first thing is to get you some clothes that won't discover on you. Here 's a hat I squeezed into my own that 'll just fit you; and I 've a coat here that 's about your size. That's enough for the present; and as we go along, I 'll teach you your part, how you are to behave, and he 'll be no fool that 'll find you out after ten days or a fortnight.”
My change of costume was soon effected, and my wound, which turned out to be a trifling one, looked after. I took a farewell look at the old walls, and stepped after my companion down the boreen.
“If we make haste,” said Darby, “we'll be beyond Shannon Harbor before day; and then, when we 're on the canal, we 'll easy get a lift in some of the boats going to Dublin.”
“And are you for Dublin?” inquired I, eagerly.
“Yes. I'm to be there on the twenty-fourth of this month, please God. There 's a meeting of the friends of Ireland to be then, and some resolutions will be taken about what 's to be done. There 's bad work going on in the Parliament.”