So long as Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee refused to secede and
stood with the Border States of Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky inside
the Union, the Confederacy organized at Montgomery, Alabama, must remain
a mere political feint.

The call of the President on Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland, all slave States, to furnish their
quota of troops to fight the seceders, was in effect a declaration of
war by a united North upon the South.

Virginia had refused to join the Confederacy before by an overwhelming
majority. All eyes were again turned on the Old Dominion. Would she
accept the President's command and send her quota of troops to fight her
sisters of the South, or would she withdraw from the Union?

The darkest day of its history was dawning on Arlington. Lee had spent a
sleepless night watching the flickering lights of the Capitol, waiting,
hoping, praying for a message from the Convention at Richmond. On that
message hung the present, the future, and the sacred glory of the past.

The lamp on the table in the hall was still burning dimly at dawn when
Mary Lee came downstairs and pulled the old-fashioned bell cord which
summoned the butler.

Ben entered with a bow.

"You ring for me, Missy?"

"Yes. You sent to town to see if an Extra had been issued?"

"Yassam. De boy come back more'n a hour ago."

"There was none?"

"Nomum."

"And he couldn't find Lieutenant Stuart?"

"Nomum. He look fur him in de telegraph office an' everywhar."

"Why don't he come--why don't he come?" she sighed.

"I spec dem wires is done down, an' de news 'bout Secesum come froo de
country fum Richmon' by horseback, M'am."

The girl sighed again wearily.

"The coffee and sandwiches ready, Ben?"

"Yassam. All on de table waitin'. De coffee gittin' cold."

"I'll bring Papa down, if I can get him to come."

"Yassam. I hopes ye bring him. He sho must be wore out."

"It's daylight," she said, "open the windows and put out the lamp."

Mary climbed the stairs again to get her father to eat. Ben drew the
curtains and the full light of a beautiful spring morning flooded the
room. A mocking bird was singing in the holly. A catbird cried from
a rosebush, a redbird flashed and chirped from the hedge and a colt
whinnied for his mother.

The old negro lowered the lamp, blew it out and began to straighten the
room. A soft knock sounded on the front door.

He stopped and listened. That