“He knows nothing new about him.”
“Well, you tell him that yesterday the court martial handed down a decree dismissing the charges. Tell him that McCormack has been acquitted; that he is free. Do you understand? Tell him that the court-martial is all over, and that McCormack is free; absolutely free!”
When the nurse came in to make her afternoon report she had scarcely crossed the door-sill before Captain Murray called out to her:
“Did you tell him, Miss Anderson?”
“Yes, I told him.”
“Did he understand? What did he say?”
“I think he understood. I never before saw such a rapturous look on a human face. He—he lay very quiet for—a while. Then he said——”
Hardened as she was to pathetic sights and sounds, the lips of the tender-hearted nurse trembled, her voice failed her, and, with tears rolling down her cheeks, she turned and fled from the captain’s room.
But McCormack had still to deal with the case of Barriscale. He knew that it was his duty to file charges with Captain Murray against the first sergeant, and he knew what those charges should be. “Behaving himself with disrespect toward his commanding officer, in violation of the 20th Article of War.” “Disobeying a lawful command of his superior officer, in violation of the 21st Article of War.” It was simple enough; his duty was plain. Yet, day after day went by and he took no action. He, himself, had been too near the verge of disloyalty and insubordination to make the task of preparing and presenting charges against a comrade an easy one.
But, when Captain Murray’s improvement made it no longer possible to put forth the serious nature of his illness as a pretext for not disturbing him, McCormack went down to the hospital one day, determined to take the matter up and have an end of it.