"Bad news?" the other repeated in surprise.
"After all," the monk continued, "the news may be good. Still, to deal frankly with you, I do not believe it; I augur no good from what we are going to do."
"I must confess that I do not at all understand you, so I should feel extremely obliged if you would explain yourself more clearly."
"That is true. Indeed, you cannot suspect anything. In two words, this is the affair: the army has received orders to march forward this very morning."
"So that——?" the wounded man asked.
"I am, to my great regret," the monk said with a crafty smile, "compelled to leave you behind."
"Hum!" the White Scalper mattered in some alarm.
"Unless," Fray Antonio continued, "as I dare not hope, we beat the Mexicans, in which case you are certain to see me again."
The patient seemed to grow more and more restless about the position in which he ran a risk of being left.
"Did you come solely to tell me that?" he asked.