tremble, sir, for fear of the answer; I sleep the night through."
Temeraire became conscious gradually, while he spoke, of being poked; Emily was at his side, tugging energetically on his wing-tip. "Temeraire!" she hissed up to him. "I oughtn't go right up with that fellow there, he is sure to see I am a girl; but we must tell the captain, there is a ship come from England - "
"I see her!" Temeraire answered, looking over into the harbor: a trim, handsome little frigate of perhaps twenty-four guns: she was drawn up not far from the Allegiance, riding easily at anchor. "Laurence," he said, leaning over, "there is a ship come from England, Roland says: it is the Beatrice, I think."
MacArthur stopped speaking, abruptly.
Emily tugged again. "That is not the news," she said, impatient. "Captain Rankin is on it."
"Oh! whyever should he have come?" Temeraire said, his ruff pricking up. "Is he a convict?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned his head to the other side. "And Roland says that Rankin is here, on the ship: that dreadful fellow from Loch Laggan. You may certainly put him in a quarry," he added to MacArthur. "I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more, the way he treated poor Levitas."
"Oh, why won't you listen," Roland cried. "He ain't a convict at all; he has come for one of the eggs."
Chapter 3
"OWING TO THE MODE of our last communication, it is quite impossible Mr. Laurence and I should have any intercourse. - I hope I may not be thought difficult," Rankin said, his crisp and aristocratic vowels carrying quite clearly, over the deck of the Allegiance; his transport the Beatrice had already gone away again, with no more news for the colony: she had left only two months after the Allegiance herself, and the news of the rebellion had not yet reached Government. "But it is generally accepted, I believe, that the dragondeck is reserved for officers of the Corps; and if the gentleman is quartered towards the stern, I see no reason why any inconvenient scenes should arise."
"I see no reason why I shouldn't push his nose in for him," Granby said, under his breath, joining Laurence on the leeward side of the quarterdeck, where passengers were ordinarily allowed liberty. "The worst of it," he added, "is I can't see any way clear to refusing him: the orders are plain black on white, he is to be put to Wringe's egg. What a damned waste."
Laurence nodded a little; he, too, had had a letter, if not in an official capacity.... though nothing would I like better than if he should get himself sunk in the Ocean on his way to you, Jane had written.
... but his damnd Family have been squalling at their Lordships for nigh on Five Years now, and he had the infernal Bad Luck - mine, that is - of finding himself in Scotland, lately, when we were so overset: went up with one of the Ferals out of Arkady's pack, saw a little fighting, and mannaged to get himself wounded again.
So I must give him a Beast, or at least a Chance of one, and Someone must put up with him thereafter; as I am about to have twenty-six hatchlings to feed and likely enough a War in Spain, I don't scruple to say, Better You Than Me.
This last was emphatically full of capitals, and underlined.
I have made the Excuse, that this is the first Egg we have had out of the Ferals, and his having Experience of them in the field, should be an Advantage in its Training.
I was tolrably transparent, I think, but a Title does wonderful things, Laurence: I should have contrivved one much sooner if I had known its Use. Gentlemen who swore at me like fishwives sixmonth ago are become sweet as milk, all because the Regent has signed some scrap of paper for me, and nod their Heads and say Yes, Very Good, when before they would have argued to Doomsday if I should say, It is coming on to rain. Also it is a great benefit they none of them know whether to say Milady or Sir, and as soon as they have arrived at a Decision, they change it again. I only hope they may not make me a Duchess to make themselves easy by saying Your Grace; it would not suit half so well.
I am very obligd to your Mother, by the bye: she wrote,