Frank delivered his father’s loving message, and his mother’s eyes closed.
“Yes,” she said softly, “to meet again in happier times.” Then, unclosing her eyes again, she moaned out, “Oh, Frank, Frank, my boy, my boy!” and he forgot his own weakness and suffering in his efforts to perform the sacred duty which had fallen to his lot.
Chapter Forty Two.
After the Failure.
That next morning, after a long sleep, the result of exhaustion, Frank Gowan awoke with the horrors of the previous night seeming to have grown so that they could no longer be borne. He hurried across to his mother’s apartments, to find from the nurse that she was sleeping, and must not of course be disturbed; so he went over to Captain Murray, who received him warmly.
“Better, my lad?” he said.
“Better?” cried Frank reproachfully.
“I mean rested. Frank lad, we had a narrow escape of our lives last night. I hear already that about fifty dragoons were more or less injured.”