The thought of Beatrice's danger stirred the Ensign's blood to fever heat, and he rushed into the house like a madman. "Captain!" he cried.
There was an instant of tense silence. A torrent of words was on Ronald's lips, but the Captain raised his hand. "I suppose," he said coolly, "that you are merely following the general tendency. Mackenzie, Norton, and the Lieutenant have all been here to suggest that I disobey my orders. Is that your purpose, also?"
"Yes," shouted Ronald, "it is!"
"By what right do you presume to offer unasked advice to your superior officer?"
"By the right of one who has kept your men from mutiny!"
The Captain cleared his throat. "Well?"
"I have no plea to make for myself, Captain. I have come to ask at your hands the lives of the women and children who are under our protection—to ask you not to betray the most sacred trust that can be given to man. You speak of orders. As I understand it, no time was set for the evacuation of the Fort?"
"We have delayed too long already."
"Suppose the British army was at our gates—would those orders hold good?"
"Sir, you are impertinent!"