The Doctor nodded. McKinstry opened his eyes.
"Good bye, my friend,"—stretching out his hand to Dan. "My brother couldn't have been kinder to me than you were to-night."
"Good bye, Zur." The rough thrust out his great fist eagerly. "God open the gate wide for yer Honor, the night,"—clearing his voice, as he went out.
"I'm going, then, Blecker?"
Paul could not meet the womanish blue eyes turned towards him: he turned abruptly away.
"Why! why! Tut! I did not think you cared, Paul,"—tightening his grasp of the hand in his. Then, closing his eyes, he covered his face with his left hand, and was silent awhile.
"Go, Doctor," he said, at last. "I forgot that others need you. Go at once. I'm very comfortable here."
"I will not go. Do you see this?"—pointing to the stream of bright arterial blood. "It was madness to throw your life away thus; a handkerchief tightened here would have sufficed until they carried you off the field."
"Yes, yes, I knew. But the wound came just as we were charging. Sabre-cut, it was. If I had said I was wounded, the men would have fallen back. I thought we could take that battery; but we did not. No matter. All right. You ought to go?"
"No. Have you no message for home?"—pushing back the yellow hair as gently as a woman. The mild face grew distorted again and pale.