“Miss ’Livy, ain’t dat ar Marse French Pembroke an’ he b’rer Miles? Look a-yander by de aige o’ de bench.”
Olivia glanced that way, and a slight wave of color swept over her face—and at that moment “Marse French’s b’rer Miles” turned his full face toward her.
He was a mere lad, of eighteen at the utmost. One side of his face, as she had first seen his profile, was of the purest Greek beauty. But on the other side, a shot had done dreadful work. One eye was drawn out of place. A horrid gash in the cheek remained, and one side of the mouth was painfully disfigured. On the same side, an arm was missing.
A torrent of pity almost overwhelmed Olivia as she looked at the boy—her little playmate in years gone by. And then the elder brother caught her eye, and bowed and smiled. He did not possess the beauty that had once belonged to Miles. He was dark and tanned, and his features had a manly irregularity. But he stood up straight and tall, and had the figure of a soldier. In a moment or two Olivia was shaking hands with Miles, looking straight and boldly into his face, as if there was nothing remarkable there. But just as she touched French Pembroke’s hand, the blonde woman in the victoria came within her line of vision.
Olivia threw up her head, and greeted Pembroke with a kind of chilling sweetness. But this all dissolved toward Miles.
“How delightful to see you again,” she said. “I suppose I shall have to say Mr. Miles now, although I never can think of you as anything but a dear little tormenting boy.”
The ghost of a smile—his smile was a mere contortion—came into Miles’ face—and while he talked, he thrust his one hand into his trousers pocket with a gesture of boyish shyness. Olivia thought she heard the tell-tale rattle of marbles in the pocket.
“I’ve—I’ve been a soldier since I saw you,” he said, with a boy’s mixture of pride and diffidence.
“So I hear,” answered Olivia, with a pretty air of severity, “ran away from school, I believe.”
“Yes,” said Miles, his diffidence disappearing before his pride. “I was big enough to carry a musket. Though I wasn’t but sixteen, I was taller than the captain of my company. Soldiering was fun until—until—.” He began to blush furiously, but kept on after a moment. “I didn’t mind sleeping in the mud, or anything. A man oughtn’t to mind that sort of thing, Olivia—if you’ll let me call you Olivia.”