The landlord looked out of the window.
"As far as I can see, everything is quiet there," he said. "Are you sure that your servant was not dreaming?"
"That you will soon ascertain, if you go down with him," Desmond said. "I fancy that you will find some traces of the affair there."
The landlord, followed by his two servants, went down with the soldiers, and then, lighting a lantern and handing it to them, went out, keeping carefully behind them.
"There," Mike said, when he stopped under Desmond's window; "does that look like a dream?" and he pointed to a patch of blood on the pavement.
"It is true enough," the landlord said.
"Pedro and Lopez, fetch pails of water and brooms, and get rid of this blood, otherwise we shall be having enquiries made in the morning."
Mike returned to his master, at whose door the sergeant and the other troopers were standing.
"There is no occasion, sergeant," Desmond had just said, "to keep a sentry at the door any longer. We can be quite sure that we shall not be disturbed again before morning, and indeed, I am not likely to sleep after this."
"Very well, sir; but if you don't mind, I will keep a sentry on watch."