ne who was his equal.

"But I must have those papers," he said.

"Then keep your threat," she said, and folding her arms proudly across
her breast she regarded him with a look of fire.

Prescott felt the blood rising in his face. He could not fulfil his
menace and now he knew it.

"Come," he said abruptly, "you must go back to Richmond with me. I can
take you safely past the earthworks and back to the house from which you
came; there my task shall end, but not my duty."

However, he comforted himself with the thought that she had not passed
the last line of defenses and perhaps could not do so at another time.

The girl said nothing, but walked obediently beside him, tall, straight
and strong. She seemed now to be subdued and ready to go wherever he
directed.

Prescott recognized that his own position in following the course that
he had chosen was doubtful. He might turn her over to the nearest
military post and then his troubles concerning her would be at an end;
but he could not choose that alternative save as a last resort. She had
made an appeal to him and she was a woman, a woman of no ordinary type.

The night was far gone, but the moon was full, and now spread its veil
of silver mist over all the hills and fields. The earth swam in an
unreal light and again the woman beside Prescott became unreal, too. He
felt that if he should reach out his hand and touch her he would touch
nothing but air, and then he smiled to himself at such a trick of fancy.

"I have given you my name," he said. "Now what shall I call you?"

"Let it go for the time," she replied.

"I must, since I have no way to compel you," he said.

They approached the inner line of earthworks through which they had
passed in the flight and pursuit, and now Prescott felt it his duty to
find the way back, without pausing to reflect on the strangeness of the
fact that he, a Confederate soldier, was seeking to escape the notice of
the Confederate pickets for the sake of a spy belonging to the other
side.

They saw again the sentinels walking back and forth, gun on shoulder,
and waiting until they were farthest apart, Prescott touched the woman
on the arm. "Now is our time," he said, and they slid with soundless
footsteps between the sentinels and back into Richmond.

"That was well done!" said Prescott joyfully. "You can shut an army out
of a town, but you can't close the way to one man or two."

"Captain Prescott," said the girl, "you have b