“Ees; and you'll forgive—”
“There's nothing to forgive, Harry. But now you'll allow your case isn't such a bad one. She must keep a good lookout after you to know what you were likely to be about to-day. And if she didn't care for you, she wouldn't have written to me. That's good sense, I think.”
Harry assented, and then Tom went into a consideration of what was to be done, and, as usual, fair castles began to rise in the air. Harry was to start down the line at once, and take work on the railway. In a few weeks he would be captain of a gang, and then what was to hinder his becoming a contractor, and making his fortune, and buying a farm of his own at Englebourn? To all which Harry listened with open ears till they got off the heath, and came upon a small hamlet of some half-dozen cottages scattered along the road.
“There's a public here, I suppose,” said Tom, returning to the damp realities of life. Harry indicated the humble place of entertainment for man and horse.
“That's all right. I hope we shall find my friend here;” and they went towards the light which was shining temptingly through the latticed window of the road-side inn.
CHAPTER XLI—THE LIEUTENANT'S SENTIMENTS AND PROBLEMS
“Stop! It looks so bright that there must be something going on. Surely the yeomanry can never have come on here already?”
Tom laid his hand on the bridle, and they halted on the road opposite the public-house, which lay a little back, with an open space of ground before it. The sign-post, and a long water-trough for the horses of guests to drink at, were pushed forward to the side of road to intimate the whereabouts of the house, and the hack which Harry led was already drinking eagerly.
“Stay here for a minute, and I'll go to the window, and see what's up inside. It's very unlucky, but it will never do for us to go in if there are any people there.”