"I trust," replied Barton, "I shall be back to my quarters before I am missed, and as to my conscience, that sleeps on a soft pillow. I have discharged the trust reposed in me."
"The Cornet then," said Isabel, "is not a villain."
Barton smiled, and replied, "Artless maiden, think not too much of the agent whom Providence employed to send you safely through a tract of country you could not otherwise have passed."
"O, tell me his name," said Eustace, "that I may join it to yours, when I pray for my benefactors."
"I must not compromise his safety," answered Barton; "his generosity, if known, would endanger his life."
"But how shall I know him, as to repay his kindness."
"Think you see him in every unarmed enemy you meet, and deal by them as he has dealt by you."
"But if we should meet him in battle?"
"Even in battle," answered Barton, "if there is time for reflection, remember thy enemy is a man, and thy brother." With these words they parted. Barton regained his quarters undiscovered, and the young people, blessing his goodness, performed the rest of their journey in safety.