'O, it don't hurt him, bless ye. Do it, corpel?' said Cripplestraw.

'Not a bit,' said the corporal, still working his arm with great
energy.

'There's no life in the bones at all. No life in 'em, I tell her,
corpel!'

'None at all.'

'They be as loose as a bag of ninepins,' explained Cripplestraw in
continuation. 'You can feel 'em quite plain, Mis'ess Anne. If ye
would like to, he'll undo his sleeve in a minute to oblege ye?'

'O no, no, please not! I quite understand,' said the young woman.

'Do she want to hear or see any more, or don't she?' the corporal
inquired, with a sense that his time was getting wasted.

Anne explained that she did not on any account; and managed to
escape from the corner.



V. THE SONG AND THE STRANGER

The trumpet-major now contrived to place himself near her, Anne's
presence having evidently been a great pleasure to him since the
moment of his first seeing her. She was quite at her ease with him,
and asked him if he thought that Buonaparte would really come during