"
That evening, just as dinner was over, the sergeant came in and said
that a woman wished to speak to the captain.
"What does she want, sergeant?"
"She won't say what she wants, sir; only that she wishes to speak to
you privately."
"Show her in then, sergeant."
The sergeant brought in the woman and then retired. As soon as the
door closed behind him the woman threw back the shawl which had
hitherto almost covered her face. She was about twenty-five years old,
and strikingly pretty.
"What can I do for you?" Captain O'Connor asked. "The sergeant says
you wish to speak to me on some particular business."
"Yes, sir; sure, and it is very particular business."
"You don't wish to speak to me quite alone, I suppose?" O'Connor
asked, seeing that she hesitated.
"No, your honor; seeing that these gentlemen are all officers there is
no reason in life why they should not hear what I have to say. But,
sure, sir, it's little my life would be worth if it were known outside
these walls that I had been here. My name is Bridget Moore, sir, and I
belong to County Galway. Well, your honor, there was a desperate
villain, they call the Red Captain, there. He was hiding in the hills
for some time near the little farm my husband holds. We did not know
who he was--how should we? but thought he was hiding because the
revenue officers were after him on account of a bit of a still or
something of that kind; but we found out one day, when he had been
taking too much of the cratur and was talking big like, that he was
the Red Captain.
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