Charlie a small bag of gold, hundreds
of dollars, for--for--_me to keep for him till his return_. Anna! I was
offended."

"Oh, but surely he meant no--"

"Ah, my dear, did I ever give him the very least right to pick me out in
that manner? No. Except in that one pretty way he has with all of
us--and which you know so well--"

An uncourageous faint smile seemed the safest response.

"Yes," said Flora, "you know it. And I had never allowed myself--"

With eyes down the two girls sat silent. Then the further word came
absently, "I refused to touch his money," and there was another
stillness.

"Dear," slowly said Anna, "I don't believe it was his. It would not have
been in gold. Some men of the battery were here last evening--You know
the Abolition schoolmistress who was sent North that day?"

"Yes, I know, 'twas hers."

"Well, dear, if she could entrust it to him--"

"Ah! _she_ had a sort of right, being, as the whole battery knows, in
love with him"--the beauty swept a finger across her perfect brows--"up
to there! For that I don't know is he to blame. If a girl has no more
sense--"

"No," murmured Anna as the cruel shaft went through her. "What did
Charlie do with the money?"

Flora tossed a despairing hand: "Gave it to grandma! And poor innocent
grandma lent it to the old gentleman! 'Twas to do wonders for the powder
and gun, and be return' in three days. But the next--"

"I see," sighed Anna, "I see!"

"Yes, next day 'twas Sunday, and whiles I was _kneeling in the church_
the powder, the gun, the old man and the money--Oh, Anna, what shall I
do?"

"My dear, I will tell you," began Anna, but the seeker of advice was not
quite ready for it.

"We have a few paltry things, of course," she spoke on, "but barely
would they pay half. They would neither save our honor, neither leave us
anything for rent or bread! Our house, to be sure, is worth more than we
have borrowed on it, but in the meantime--"

"In the meantime, dear, you shall--" But still Flora persisted:

"Any day, any hour, Captain Kincaid may return. Oh, if 'twere anybody in
this worl' but him! For, Anna, I must take all the blame--all!" The face
went again into the hands.

"My dear, you shall take none. You shall hand him every dollar, every
picayune, on sight."

"Ah, how is that possible? Oh, no, no, no. Use your money? Never, never,
never!"

"It isn't money, Flora. And no one shall ever know. I've got some old
family jewellery--"

"