Marcus: the Young Centurion Part 21

"What am I doing here?"

"Yes, sir," cried Marcus, forcing him a little more back, and fixing him with his eyes, "what are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, I--er--I--I'm here to take you back."

"You old shuffler!" cried Marcus, in a rage. "I can see through you.

My father's orders, indeed! What were his orders to _you_, sir?

Weren't they to stop and take care of his house and belongings, and of me?"

"Well, they was something like that," growled the man, softly; "but don't drive your knuckles into my throat like that, my lad. You hurt."

"Hurt! Yes, and you deserve it," cried Marcus, growing stronger in his attack upon the old servant as the latter grew more confused and weak.

"So this is the way you obey my father's commands. You took upon yourself to go into his room and help yourself to the armour you have on. Confess, you did; didn't you?"

"Well, if it comes to that, Master Marcus," grumbled the man, "it was my armour, and wouldn't fit no one else."

"That's shuffling again, Serge, and it's no good. You took the armour, unknown to my father?"

"Course I did, my lad," cried the man, recovering himself a little. "He wasn't there, was he?"

"Pah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Marcus. "More shuffling. Now then, confess: you took the armour and disobeyed the orders given you. What is more, you forsook me and left me to myself. Speak out; you did, didn't you?"

"Well, I s'pose it's o' no use to deny it, Master Marcus. I s'pose I did."

"And in direct opposition to my father's orders you were going to follow him to the war?"

"That's right, Master Marcus, but how could I help it? Could I let him, as I'd followed into many a fight, go off to meet those savage Gauls without me at his back to stand by him as I've done many and many a time before?"

"You disobeyed him, sir," cried Marcus.

"Well, boy, I own up," growled the man; "but I meant to do it for the best. How could I stop at home nussing you like a baby and thinking all the while that my old master was going about with swords and spears offering at his throat? How could I do it, Master Marcus? Don't be so hard on a man. It wasn't to be done."

"And yet you were as hard as iron to me, sir," cried Marcus.

"Well, didn't your father order me to be in the way of taking care of you? It was my duty."

"Was it?" cried Marcus. "Then now I'm going to do my duty to you, sir."

"What are you going to do, Master Marcus?" said Serge, quite humbled now.

"Make you go back to the old home and take care of it."

"Master never gave you orders to do that," cried the old soldier, triumphantly; "and now I'm started to follow him and fight for him, n.o.body shan't make me go; so there!"

Marcus and Serge remained gazing in one another's eyes, till at last the latter spoke.

"Look here, Master Marcus, I meant it for the best. Aren't you being a bit hard on me?"

"Look here, Serge," replied Marcus, "I meant it for the best. Weren't you a bit hard upon me?"

"I think not, Master Marcus, boy."

"And that's what I think, Serge."

"I couldn't see my dear old master go away alone into danger."

"And I couldn't see my dear old father go away alone into danger."

"Of course you couldn't, Master Marcus. I say, my lad, you know what I used to tell you about enemies doing when they come to a check like-- what they settled was best."

"What, made a truce?" said Marcus.

"Yes, my lad. I should like one now, for that bruise you've made with your knuckles in my throat's quite big enough. It'll be black to-morrow."

"Get up, Serge," said Marcus, letting his hand fall.

"Thankye, my lad. I say, boy, I didn't think you were so strong."

"Didn't you, Serge?"

"No, boy. My word, it's just as if getting into your armour had stiffened you all over. My word, I wouldn't ha' believed that you could fight like you did this morning!"

"I felt hot and excited, Serge, and as if I could do anything."

"Didn't feel a bit scared like, though there was six of them?"

"No," said Marcus, thoughtfully; "I never thought anything about their numbers, only of saving you."

"Thinking all the time it was someone else, sir?"

"Yes, Serge; that was it."

"And you fought fine, sir. Seems to me it's a pity for a youngster like you to be stopping at home unrolling volumes and making scratches with a stylus."

"Does it, Serge?"

"Yes, sir, it do; and likewise it seems a pity that such a man as me, who can do his share of fighting, should be doing nothing better than driving the swine into the acorn woods."

"And looking after and protecting me, Serge," said Marcus, drily.

"Oh, yes, of course; there was that, of course, Master Marcus; but I say, sir, don't you think we've both talked enough for the present; I tackled you and you tackled me in a pretty tidy argument, and both on us had the best of it in turn. I'm beginning to think that there's good clear water coming down from the mountain yonder."

"Yes, Serge; it makes me feel thirsty after getting so hot."

"Then, too, I've got a nice loaf in my wallet and a tidy bit o' meat as I got from a little way back. What do you say to our making a bit o'

breakfast together same as we've done before now in the woods?"

"And settle afterwards about whether we should go back, Serge?" said Marcus.