“No,” replied Kate, “but to make inquiries, sergeant, if you would be so kind as to answer them.”
“If it’s not against my duty,” replied Whitestone, with no abatement of his courtesy.
“I wanted to know if all my friends had escaped unhurt from the battle,” she said. “I was going to ask about you first, sergeant, but I see that it is not necessary.”
“What others?” said the sergeant.
“Well, there’s Mr. Shelby,” she said. “Albert said he saw him in that fearful charge, the tumult of which frightened us so much.”
“Oh, Mr. Shelby’s all right, ma’am,” replied the sergeant. “The fact is, he’s in command of this very post, and he’s scouting about here somewhere now. Any others, ma’am, you wish to ask about?”
“I don’t recall any just now,” she said, “and I suppose I ought to go back, or you might be compelled to arrest me as a spy, or something of that kind.”
The sergeant made another deep bow. Whitestone always thought he had fine manners. Kate began her return. She did not see me, for I had stepped aside. But I was very glad that I had seen her. I watched her until she re-entered the British camp.
When I rejoined Whitestone he assured me that nothing whatever had happened in my absence, and, besides the men of our immediate command, he had not seen a soul of either army. I did not dispute his word, for I was satisfied.