A few moments later an officer approached them from one of the wards. At that moment the footsteps of the three were arrested by the booming of artillery. It seemed as though all the guns of both armies were at work.
The officer's eyes blazed, and he turned to the two women with an impassioned gesture.
"Byng and the S.A.'s have done their trick," he said. "If they hadn't, that wouldn't be going on. It was to follow—a general assault—if Byng pulled it off. Old Blunderbuss has done it this time. His combination's working all right—thanks to Byng's lot."
As he hurried on he was too excited to see Jasmine's agitation.
"Wait!" Jasmine exclaimed, as he went quickly down the hallway. But her voice was scarcely above a whisper, and he did not hear.
She wanted to ask him if Rudyard was safe. She did not realize that he could not know.
But the thunder of artillery told her that Rudyard had had his fighting at daybreak, as he had said.