"In what matter?" the general inquired.
"That of the ladies and their relief," said he. "A little confidence will—will—"
"Grease the wheels of progress?" the general suggested, smiling.
"Quite so," he answered lazily. "To begin with, they are not thirty miles away, if I am correct in my judgment of this locality."
There was a moment of silence.
"My dear sir," he went on presently, "this ground is quite familiar to me. I slept in this very chamber long ago. But that is not here nor there. Day after to-morrow, a little before midnight, the ladies will be riding on the shore pike. You could meet them and bring them out to a schooner, I suppose—if—"
He stopped again, puffing thoughtfully.
"If we could agree," he went on. "Now this would be my view of it: You let me send a messenger for the ladies. You would have to take them by force somehow; but, you know, I could make it easy—arrange the time and place, no house near, no soldiers, no resistence but that of the driver, who should not share our confidence—no danger. You take them to the boats and bring them over; but, first—"
He paused again, looking at the smokerings above his head in a dreamy manner.
"'First,'" my chief repeated.