“Poor old fellow! Helped to make me a soldier, has he? Well, it pleases him to think so.”
The lad ran his eye along the side of the court-yard, sadly trampled now, and fancied he saw a head quickly withdrawn at one of the narrow windows of the north-west tower; but he was not sure, and it did not impress him then as he went on to the hospital-room, where the wounded men received him eagerly, Sam Donny being the most demonstrative, and ending by begging that he might be ordered on duty again.
“Another week at least, first,” said Roy. “Only too glad to have you all back.”
Roy stayed till it was dark, and he was descending to the court-yard when a loud shouting below took his attention, and upon running out he found a knot of men eagerly talking and looking up at the gate tower.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” said the boy, excitedly.
“The flag, sir,” cried Farmer Raynes. “Did you order it to be pulled down?”
“I? No!” cried Roy, excitedly. “I said it was to be kept up night and day. Who has dared to do this?”