as she stood there, with eyes uplifted as in mute prayer, and
fervently kissed the silken folds of the flag, Hugh wished that
his station in life had been that of an American flag.

Time passed on, and the prisoner was to be exchanged for a rebel
officer of equal rank. Captain Dumars brought him the
intelligence, and was surprised at the seeming indifference with
which he received it.

'You don't seern particularly elated by the prospect of getting
among the Yankees again.'

'I am eager to take my sword again; but my stay here has been far
from unpleasant. You, Captain, have been away so much that I have
not been able to thank you for making my imprisonment so pleasant.
I am at a loss to know why you have shown such favor to me
especially.'

'This is the cause,' replied the Captain, laying his finger upon a
breast-pin that Hugh always wore upon his coat, at the same time
unbuttoning his own; 'you see that I wear the same.'

It was a simple jewel, embellished only by a few Greek characters,
but it was the emblem of one of those college societies, in which
secrecy and mystery add a charm to the ties of brotherhood. And it
was this fraternal tie, stronger than that of Free-Masonry,
because more exclusive, that made Hugh's a pleasant imprisonment,
and made him happy in the love of one faithful among the
faithless, loyal among many traitors. For of course the reader has
surmised--for poetic justice demands it--that Hugh fell
desperately in love with Annie, and Annie _ditto_ Hugh. How he
told the tender tale, and how she answered him,--whether with the
conventional quantity of blushes and sighs, or not,--is none of
your business, reader, or mine; so don't ask me any questions.

It was the evening of the day before Hugh's departure. They, Annie
and Hugh, sat in the little porch, silent and sad, watching the
shadows slowly creeping up the mountain side towards its
sun-kissed summit, like a sombre pall of sorrow shrouding a bright
hope.

'And to-morrow you are free.'

'No, Annie, not free. My sword will be free, but my heart will
still linger here, a prisoner. But when the war is over, and the
old flag restored--'

'Then,' and here her eyes were filled with the glorious light of
prophetic hope, '_I_ will be _your_ prisoner.'

And still Hugh is fighting for t