I have quoted
above: "After the battle was over, and it was apparent that
Rosecrans's ill-considered order had led to a disaster, he
offered as an explanation of it the statement that some
staff-officer had reported to him that Brannan was out of line,
and that he intended I should close to the left on Reynolds, and
that I overlooked this direction to close to the left on
Reynolds. Certainly, I overlooked it, or rather I did not see
it, for it was not there to be seen. On the contrary, I was
ordered to close up on Reynolds, and for a purpose--viz., to
support him. I remark also that it was impossible for any man,
on reading Rosecrans's order to me, to even remotely conjecture
that it was based on the supposition that Brannan was out of
line. He had previously ordered me to rest my left on Brannan's
right, and I had reported to him that I had done so. Colonel
Starling (of Crittenden's staff) testified before the
McCook-Crittenden court of inquiry that he was with Rosecrans at
the time the latter directed the order to be sent to me, and
told him that Brannan was not out of line."

THE ATONEMENT OF LEAM DUNDAS.

BY MRS. E. LYNN LINTON, AUTHOR OF "PATRICIA KEMBALL."

CHAPTER XXXVII.

UNWORTHY.

The storm had passed with the night, and the day was bright and
joyful--almost hard in its brightness and cruel in its joy; for while
the sun was shining overhead and the air was musical with the hum of
insects and the song of birds, the flowers were broken, the tender
plants destroyed, the uncut corn was laid as if a troop of horse had
trampled down the crops, and the woods, like the gardens and the fields,
were wrecked and spoiled. But of all the mourners sighing between earth
and sky, Nature is the one that never repents, and the sun shines out
over the saddest ruin as it shines out over the richest growth, as
careless of the one as of the other.

Edgar came down from the Hill in the sunshine, handsome, strong, jocund
as the day. As he rode through the famous double avenue of chestnuts he
thought, What a glorious day! how clear and full of life after the
storm! but he noted the wreckage too, and was concerned to see how the
trees and fields had suffered. Still, the one would put forth new
branches and fresh leaves next year; and if the other had been roughly
handled, there was yet a salvage to be garnered. The ruin was not
irreparable, and he