The party having finished their breakfast arose from the table at the same time, and Mr. Sprague went out with Leon to call upon the rebels. On the way he talked more plainly to Leon than he had ever done before.
“I shan’t appoint you aid-de-camp,” said Mr. Sprague.
“I know why,” said Leon. “If you should do a thing like that, the fellows who are not as high in authority as you are would think that you were giving me a place to keep me out of danger. I don’t want anybody to think that of me.”
“Well, yes; that has something to do with it. But you would be in just as much danger there as you would anywhere else. I don’t want you hanging around me all the time. The men think you are doing it on purpose to shield me.”
“I confess that that is what I was thinking of.”
“Don’t do it any more. Of course I shall be in the thickest of the fight, if we have any, but I don’t want you to be there. That’s the reason I am giving my consent to allow you to go down after Dawson’s mother.”
“Do you say I may go?” exclaimed Leon, joyfully.
“Yes; but I want you first to let your mother know we are safe and what is the reason we don’t come home.”
“I’ll go and get Tom and Dawson to go with me. By the way, Tom has got his mule broken.”
“So that he won’t kick?” asked Mr. Sprague, in surprise.