“No, it isn’t, Val,” she answered. “Some one else knows. Some one right here. One of the family, and we are about to be betrayed. It may already be too late, but I hope not.”
“Who is it?” demanded Tracy shortly.
“Dorothea,” April answered, and looked keenly at him, expecting to read in his face a confirmation of her conclusion that he had told her cousin of the plan.
But Tracy showed nothing of that sort. Instead, he laughed lightly as if his mind had been eased of a burden.
“That’s out of the question, April,” he replied. “Dorothea wouldn’t betray any one. I’ll stake my life on that. I don’t know what notion you have in your head, but there’s a mistake somewhere.”
“Listen, Val,” April began earnestly, and then told him exactly what she had seen and what her suspicions were.
Undoubtedly Tracy was impressed by the story. No one listening to the intense way in which April spoke could doubt that she firmly believed what she said.
“Are you certain you saw a Union man?” Tracy asked, as if it was hard to believe.
“There is not the slightest doubt of it, Val,” she replied.
“Well, then, whatever the explanation of her meeting him may be, he must be taken.” Tracy had made up his mind at once who this mysterious person was. Once before he had taken a hand in helping to free a Federal officer, but then it was an escaped prisoner from Andersonville and, for the sake of a sentiment he held, he had closed his eyes to his duty. That he could not do again. Now a matter of vital importance to the cause for which he fought was at stake. He was not one to be indifferent to his oath of allegiance. He had his own notion of the meaning of this meeting, but he could not run the risk of its being nothing but a love affair.