`` They tell me I can have no other fate ; that my malady is fatal ; but I still hope and fight for my life ; it is all I have to give my country now . '' A stifled sigh and a sad emphasis on the last word roused the sympathy of the girls , the interest of the major . He took another survey , and said , with a tone of satisfaction , as he marked the martial carriage of the young man , and caught a fiery glance of the half-hidden eyes , -- `` You are a soldier , sir ? '' `` I was ; I am nothing now but an exile , for Poland is in chains . '' The words `` Poland '' and `` exile '' brought up all the pathetic stories of that unhappy country which the three listeners had ever heard , and won their interest at once . `` You were in the late revolution , perhaps ? '' asked the major , giving the unhappy outbreak the most respectful name he could use . `` From beginning to end . '' `` Oh , tell us about it ; we felt much sympathy for you , and longed to have you win , '' cried Amy , with such genuine interest and pity in her tone , it was impossible to resist . Pressing both hands upon his breast , the young man bent low , with a flush of feeling on his pale cheek , and answered eagerly , -- `` Ah , you are kind ; it is balm to my sore heart to hear words like these . I thank you , and tell you what you will . It is but little that I do , yet I give my life , and die a long death , instead of a quick , brave one with my comrades . '' `` You are young to have borne a part in a revolution , sir , '' said the major , who pricked up his ears like an old war-horse at the sound of battle . `` My friends and myself left the University at Varsovie , as volunteers ; we did our part , and now all lie in their graves but three . '' `` You were wounded , it seems ? '' `` Many times . Exposure , privation , and sorrow will finish what the Russian bullets began . But it is well . I have no wish to see my country enslaved , and I can no longer help her . '' `` Let us hope that a happier future waits for you both .
XXXXX loves liberty too well , and has suffered too much for it , to be kept long in captivity . ''
Amy Poland Russian Varsovie balm comrades left privation stories war-horse