The party she had determined to escort, individually and collectively, offered feeble objections, which were immediately waved aside. "I'm going," said Beatrice, "because I want to, and because it would break Queen's heart if we went back now."
"What's all this fuss about?" inquired Ronald, sauntering up, and rubbing his eyes.
The women explained all at once, in incoherent sentences; but Beatrice did not appear to hear any part of the conversation until he ended it by saying, "She can go if she wants to, because I'm going along."
Beatrice bit her lip. "You are not," she said, in a tone of command.
"Yes, I am," he laughed; "and, moreover, you are never to ride out of the gate of the Fort unless an officer goes with you."
She turned and looked at him scornfully, and Ronald, still laughing, saluted. "A military order, Miss Manning."
It was scarcely light when they started, with Beatrice leading the way. Queen's eager feet fairly flew, and the girl's pulses caught the exultant sense of life. The others fell far behind, and Beatrice doubled and crossed on the trail wherever it was possible.
They had gone about six miles from the Fort when she reined in and waited for the others to come up, then made her adieux.
"Why do you say good-bye?" asked Ronald.
"Why, because I'm going back now."