egard
you with--with--deeper feeling than I ought. Can you ask me to say
more? But oh, Mr Hurry, this dreadful war!"

"Madeline, the war will end; the time will come when you may be mine!"
I exclaimed vehemently. "Will you--will you then consent?"

"Mr Hurry, I will," she answered calmly. "If you come and claim me,
you will find me true. Some women never love more than once. Yet I
will not bind you. You have your profession to occupy you. Your family
may disdain a rebel's child with her property confiscated. You may
wander to all parts of the world: you will see numberless women--many
very far superior to me--you may--"

I interrupted her with a vehement exclamation of denial as to the
possibility of anything she suggested occurring. I need not repeat all
I said--all the vows I uttered. I did not believe that mortal power
could make me break them.

We had remained somewhat behind the rest of the party while Mrs
Tarleton was speaking to the officer of the picket, and Lieutenant
Spinks was gaining information as to the road we were to take to reach
head-quarters. It was now time to move on. Anxious as I was not to
part from Madeline till the last moment, I felt that, as an officer of
the Royalist party, I ought to offer to remain in the outskirts of the
camp; but to my great satisfaction Mrs Tarleton at once overruled my
objections.

"Our friends will wish to thank you for the great service you have
rendered us, and you will require a few hours' rest at least before you
commence your return journey," she observed.

Madeline's look I thought said, "Do not go yet;" so I agreed to the
proposal. The marks of recent strife were sadly evident along the road
over which we passed, in the blackened remains of houses, woods cut
down, and fences destroyed.

We passed through several other pickets till we finally came to where a
considerable body of troops were encamped within intrenchments, and with
some rugged hills in front. Among the troops was a corps of fine, tall,
active-looking young men, whose uniforms and accoutrements were in the
most perfect order. Accustomed as I had been to see the ill-clothed,
various-sized, undisciplined militia, I was particularly struck by their
appearance.

"Those are General Washington's guards," observed Mrs Tarleton. "He
has much need of such men; for, though prizing the lives of those under
him, he is sadly careless of his own. He himself is, I do not doubt,
not far