ther
his whole history.

That of the young dragoon was short and simple, but sad. He had been
chosen, he said, for service from a rural district, and sent to the war
without reference to the fact that he was the only support of an invalid
mother, whose husband had died the previous year. He had an elder
brother who ought to have filled his place, but who, being given to
drink, did not in any way fulfil his duties as a son. There was also,
it was true, a young girl, the daughter of a neighbour, who had done her
best to help and comfort his mother at all times, but without the aid of
his strong hand that girl's delicate fingers could not support his
mother, despite the willingness of her brave heart, and thus he had left
them hurriedly at the sudden and peremptory call of Government.

"That young girl," said Petroff, after listening to the lad's earnest
account of the matter with sympathetic attention, "has no place _there_,
has she?"--he touched the left breast of Andre's coat and nodded.

The blush of the young soldier was visible even in the dim light of the
camp-fire as he started up on one elbow, and said--

"Well, yes; she _has_ a place there!"

He drew out a small gilt locket as he spoke, and, opening it, displayed
a lock of soft auburn hair.

"I never spoke to her about it," he continued, in a low tone, "till the
night we parted. She is very modest, you must know, and I never dared
to speak to her before, but I became desperate that night, and told her
all, and she confessed her love for me. Oh, Petroff, if I could only
have had one day more of--of--but the sergeant would not wait. I had to
go to the wars. One evening in paradise is but a short time, yet I
would not exchange it for all I ever--" He paused.

"Yes, yes, _I_ know all about that," said the scout, with an encouraging
nod; "I've had more than one evening in that region, and so will you,
lad, after the war is over."

"I'm not so sure of that," returned the dragoon sadly; "however, she
gave me this lock of her hair--she is called `Maria with the auburn
hair' at our place--and mother gave me the locket to put it in. I
noticed that she took some grey hair out when she did so."

"Keep it, lad; keep it always near your heart," said the scout, with
sudden enthusiasm, as the youth replaced and buttoned up his treasure;
"it will save you, mayhap, like a charm, in the hour of temptation."

"I don't need _that_ advice," returned the soldier, wit