deep
compassion. "In the mean time, be very kind to him, very gentle and
respectful, my son."

"I will," said Frank, "but it is all so strange! I can't understand it."

"Well, never mind now. Here is Captain Edney talking with Helen and Mr.
Egglestone, and Willie is playing with his scabbard. Pretty well
acquainted this young gentleman is getting!" said Mrs. Manly, hastening
to take the child away from the sword.

"Pitty thord! pitty man!" lisped Willie, who had fallen violently in love
with the captain and his accoutrements. "Me and Helen, we like pitty man!
We go with pitty man!"

Helen blushed; while the captain, laughing, took a piece of money from
his pocket and gave it to Willie for the compliment.

Frank, who had been absent a moment, now joined the group, evidently much
pleased at something.

"The funniest thing has happened! A fellow in our company,--and one of
the best fellows he is too! but I can't help laughing!--he met his girl
to-day, and they suddenly took it into their heads to get married; so
they sent two of their friends to get their licenses for them, one, one
way, and the other another way, for they live in different places. And
the fellow's license has come, and the girl's hasn't, and they wouldn't
have time to go to a minister's now if it had. It is too bad! but isn't
it funny? The fellow is one of my very best friends. I wrote to you about
him; Abe Atwater. There he is, with his girl!"

And Frank pointed out the tall young soldier, standing stately and
taciturn, but with a strong emotion in that usually mild, grave face of
his, perceptible enough to those who knew him. His girl was at his side,
crying.

"How I pity her!" said Helen. "But he takes it coolly enough, I should
think."

"He takes every thing that way," said Frank; "but you can't tell much by
his face how he feels, though I can see he is biting hard to keep his
heart down now, straight as he stands."

"I'll speak to her," said Helen; and while Frank accosted Atwater, she
made acquaintance with the girl.

"Yes," said the soldier, "it would be better to know I was leaving a wife
behind, to think of me and look for my coming back. But I never knew she
cared so much for me; and now it's too late."

"To think," said the girl to Helen, "he has loved me all along, but never
told me, because he thought I wouldn't have him! And now he is going, and
may be I shall never see him again! And we want to be married, and my
license ha