e toils of matrimony, was literally construed.
Her first impulse was to repudiate this suggestion of captivity, of
detention against her will. Then her strong instinct of wisdom,--for she
had no foresight in the matter,--that made Hamish sometimes charge her
with being as politic as Captain Stuart himself, moved her to reserve
this detail for the consideration of the commandant of the fort, as
every matter, however trivial, that bore upon the growing enmity of the
Cherokees toward the English amongst them, and their disposition to
fraternize with the French, was important.

The two captains listened with serious attention when she detailed this
conversation to them, having repaired to the fort for the purpose, and
being received as a guest of much distinction in the great hall,
summarily cleared of the junior officers, and, not so summarily, of the
clouds of tobacco smoke. They both instantly commended her course in
leaving the impression on the minds of the Indian women as it had
chanced to be made, and in dismissing them in unimpaired good humor with
some little presents--a tiny mirror set locket-wise and an ivory bobbin
wound around with red thread. The women had evidently derived special
pleasure from the slyness and presumable secrecy of their interview,
skulking out with a craft of concealment that completely eluded the
notice of Sandy and "Dill," and this had given Odalie a sense of
disapprobation and repulsion.

"Why should you care?" demanded Demere, always sympathetic with a
woman's whim-whams, even when he could not feel with them. "No amount of
explanation could enable the Indian women to comprehend the situation
from your standpoint."

And Captain Stuart could not restrain his laughter at her discomfiture.

"Do you consider yourself so free, then? Do you call it freedom--in the
holy _bonds_ of matrimony? I had no idea how much you object to hear the
clanking of your chains!"

As he noted her long-lashed glance of disdain,--"Doesn't the holy
Scripture call it a 'yoke,'" he persisted, bursting out laughing afresh.

She would not reply but sat listening to Captain Demere, who began to
reason,--"This impression on the part of the Cherokee women might afford
us--I don't know how--some means of learning and frustrating the
treacherous plans of the savages. It gives us a source of information
through you that we can trust."

"I don't relish the deceitful part assigned to me," she protested.

"What would w