Apparently anticipating a torpedo, when only a flag of truce was offered,—rather dimly to be sure,—he cautiously took his seat without a word.
How shall I quickly explain? Why doesn’t he say something—not a word—one or the other must drop preliminary caution, or the words will freeze on our lips. So I blundered out “Are you engaged at five P. M.?”
He replied that he thought he was. Whereupon I told him the whole story, and he soon changed his plans.
“As General Patrick is away,” I said, “will you come and witness the ceremony?”
“But I’m afraid it——”
“Nonsense, Miss Bain has remained by permission of General Patrick. We wish you, as his representative, to give your countenance and endorsement to the affair.”
Now he was interested, and finally agreed to be on hand. Away we hurried back to the Christian Commission, and found we had only two hours left.
After returning from the Cavalry Corps Hospital I found Bob within the tent standing alone with a gloomy and discontented expression upon his face. I took the alarm and said quickly: “There is something wrong, Bob. If you are intending to marry Annie because you think you must, don’t do it, she’s too good a girl to be forced upon any man in that manner. Now is your time to retreat. What is the matter?”
With a merry laugh, Bob said soothingly: “There, there, Colonel, you are wasting ammunition. Why, don’t you know that nothing in the world could make me so happy as to marry the dear girl, and if we succeed I can never repay this great kindness, so don’t waste time or thought on that point!”
But the cloud once more passed over his face. What did it mean? Half repenting the new role, I was hurrying away, when a neglected message came to my mind, and I called out, “O, Bob! Major Baker, before going North, requested me to say he had left forty dollars for you with the sutler at the Point!”