s well as his small patches of corn,
which, when green, had already only escaped being made forage of by the
Royalist garrison, because he was a tenant of the loyal Elmwoods. These
fields were exposed, though the narrow wooded ravine might protect the
small homestead and the cattle.

He found his new guest very happy cracking nuts, and expounding to Rusha
what kinds of firearms made the various sounds they heard. Patience had
made an attempt to get her to exchange her soiled finery for a sober
dress of Rusha's; but "What shall I do, Stead?" said the grave
elder sister, "I cannot get her to listen to me, she says she is
no prick-eared Puritan, but truly she is not fit to be seen." Stead
whistled. "Besides that she might bring herself and all of us into
danger with those gewgaws."

"That's true," said Stead. "Look you here, little maid--none can say
whether some of the rebel folk may find their way here, and they don't
like butterflies of your sort, you know. If you look a sober little
brown bee like Rusha here, they will take no notice, but who knows what
they might do it they found you in your bravery."

"Bravery," thought Patience, "filthy old rags, me seems," but she had
the prudence not to speak, and Emlyn nodded her head, saying, "I'll do
it for you, but not for her."

And when all was done, and she was transformed into a little
russet-robed, white-capped being, nothing would serve her, but to
collect all the brightest cranesbill flowers she could find, and stick
them in her own bodice and Rusha's.

Patience could not at all understand the instinct for bright colours,
but even little Ben shouted "Pretty, pretty."

Perhaps it was well that the delicate pink blossoms were soon faded and
crushed, and that twilight veiled their colours, for just as the cattle
were being foddered for the night, there was a gay step on the narrow
path, and with a start of terror, Patience beheld a tall soldier, in
tall hat, buff coat, and high boots before her; while Growler made a
horrible noise, but Toby danced in a rapture of delight.

"Ha! little Patience, is't thou?"

"Jephthah," she cried, though the voice as well as the form were greatly
changed in these two years between boyhood and manhood.

"Aye, Jephthah 'tis," he said, taking her hand, and letting her kiss
him. "My spirit was moved to come and see how it was with you all, and
to shew how Heaven had prospered me, so I asked leave of absence
after roll-call, and could