We were in a bank of mist at the time, and I just
caught a glimpse of the plane itself. The man was a mere shapeless
figure to me. I had no time to fight him, because I was due here with
another message which made vengeance upon him at that time a matter of
little moment."
He flecked the red drops off his sleeve, and added:
"It was but a scratch. My weary look comes from a long and hard flight
and not from the mysterious bullet. I'm to rest here an hour, which will
be sufficient to restore me, and then I'm off again."
"Is there any rule against your telling me what you've seen, Philip?"
De Rougemont and several other officers had approached, drawn by their
curiosity, and interest in Lannes.
"None at all," he replied in a tone all could hear, "but I'm able to
speak in general terms only. I can't give details, because I don't know
'em. The Germans are not many miles ahead. They're in hundreds of
thousands, and I hear that this is only one of a half-dozen armies."
"And our own force?" said de Rougemont eagerly.
Lannes' chest expanded. The dramatic impulse was strong upon him again.
"There is another army on our right, and another on our left," he
replied, "and although I don't know surely, I think there are others
still further on the line. The English are somewhere with us, too."
John felt his face tingle as the blood rose in it. He had left a Paris
apparently lost. Within a day almost a tremendous transformation had
occurred.
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