"Do you want this room for a little while?"

"Not for some hours to come. Are you thinking of moving any of
your wounded men in here?"

"I was thinking of the English lady," answered the surgeon. "The
kitchen is not quite the place for her. She would be more
comfortable here; and the English nurse might keep her company."

Captain Arnault smiled, not very pleasantly. "They are two fine
women," he said, "and Surgeon Surville is a ladies' man. Let them
come in, if they are rash enough to trust themselves here with
you." He checked himself on the point of going out, and looked
back distrustfully at the lighted candle. "Caution the women," he
said, "to limit the exercise of their curiosity to the inside of
this room."

"What do you mean?"

The captain's forefinger pointed significantly to the closed
window-shutter.

"Did you ever know a woman who could resist looking out of
window?" he asked. "Dark as it is, sooner or later these ladies
of yours will feel tempted to open that shutter. Tell them I
don't want the light of the candle to betray my headquarters to
the German scouts. How is the weather? Still raining?"

"Pouring."