“How many troops do you think there are in Washington and vicinity at the present time?”
“That is a pretty difficult question to answer, but there are probably from 75,000 to 100,000, with more arriving all the while.”
Mr. Davis seemed to ponder over this for some time, and then looking his caller in the eye, he said,
“I presume that you know you are suspected of being a spy?”
The look of injured innocence which appeared upon the face of Lafayette Baker would have done credit to a professional actor. Nevertheless he evaded a direct answer by saying:
“No man is safe from accusation in times like the present.”
“But what have you to say for yourself?”
“Nothing except that I defy my accusers to prove their charges.”
“It seems to me,” said Mr. Davis, “that some one said you were a Southern man.”
“Yes, sir, I came originally from Knoxville. The members of my family lived there for years, but in recent times I have lived in California.”