About midnight the party reached Charlottesville, where tender, loving hands took charge of Agatha for the night.
The journey had rather rested than wearied her, and the physician who had been summoned to attend her found her free from all positive illness.
"She has need of nothing now but rest and quiet," he said.
When Marshall called upon her in the morning, he found the young woman's mind clear again, and her nerves under control.
"Tell me of Captain Pegram," she eagerly demanded, as soon as she had briefly expressed her gratitude to Pollard for the care he was taking for her comfort.
With that gentle smile which always so invited affection, Marshall reassured her concerning her late patient.
"He is in Sam's excellent hands, and on his way to the rear by this time. He will be on duty again pretty soon. Indeed, if the army were stationed anywhere in particular just now he wouldn't go away from it at all. He would take command of his battery at once, merely reporting himself on the sick-list for a week or two. As it is he must go away for a little while. Now let us talk about yourself. I have a week's leave, granted for the express purpose of letting me do what is best for you. Tell me what is best—or rather—it's the same thing—what is most to your liking? Will you stay here, or—"
"If I may," she answered, quickly, "I want to go home—to The Oaks, I mean, for that is the only home I have in all the world now. Please take me there."
"It would be a very long journey by carriage," he said, as if talking to himself, "but we can make the trip by rail if you are strong enough to stand it."
It was necessary in those days to think of a railway journey as a formidable undertaking for any but the strongest persons. There were no such things known then as sleeping-cars, or drawing-room cars. The railroads were badly built, with the rails spiked down to loose ties, and in no way joined together at their ends. The cars were coupled together by chain links, and operated with hand-brakes, so that when a train was stopping, there was a jolting which in our day would be deemed intolerable. In Virginia at that time there was the additional discomfort of laminated iron rails, and cars badly out of repair.