"
"Nevertheless, it is forbidden," repeated the warder obstinately, "and
though the five minutes you were granted together are not over yet, the
prisoner must go with me now. He has forfeited the rest of his time, and
must be reported."
With this, he ordered Ivor to leave the room, in a tone which sounded to
me so brutal that I should have liked him to be shot, and the whole
French police force exterminated. To hear a little underbred policeman
dare to speak like that to my big, brave, handsome Englishman, and to
know that it would be childish and undignified of Ivor to resist--oh, I
could have killed the creature with my own hands--I think!
As for Ivor, he said not another word, except "good-bye," smiling half
sadly, half with a twinkle of grim humour. Then he went out, with his
head high: and just at the door he threw me back one look. It said as
plainly as if he had spoken: "Remember, I know you won't fail me."
I did indeed remember, and I prayed that I should have pluck and courage
not to fail. But it was a very hard thing that he had asked me to do,
and he had said well in saying that he would not ask it of me if it did
not mean more than his life.
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