I had never seen him serious before. My heart inclined even to Captain Treherne.
“Was he ever hurt—Doctor Urquhart, I mean?”
“Once or twice, slightly, while looking after his wounded on the field. But he made no fuss about it, and always got well directly. You see, he is such an extremely temperate man in all things—such a quiet temper—has himself in such thorough control—that he has twice the chance of keeping in health that most men have—especially our fellows there, who, he declares, died quite as much of eating, drinking, and smoking, as they did of Russian bullets.”
“Your friend must be a remarkable man.”
“He's a—a brick! Excuse the word—in ladies' society I ought not to use it.”
“If you ought to use it at all, you may do so in ladies' society.”
The youth looked puzzled.
“Well, then, Miss Dora, he really is a downright brick—since you know what that means. Though an odd sort of fellow too; a tough customer to deal with—never lets go the rein; holds one in as tight as if he were one's father. I say, Charteris, did you ever hear the governor speak of Doctor Urquhart, of ours?”
If Sir William had named such a person, Mr. Charteris had, unfortunately, quite forgotten it. Stay—he fancied he had heard the name at his club, but it was really impossible to remember all the names one knew, or the men.
“You wouldn't have forgotten that man in a hurry, Miss Dora, I assure you. He's worth a dozen of—— but I beg your pardon.”