“Walk in and sit down while the servant is getting something for you. You look tired. I hope your arm is not much hurt.”
“Well, sort o’. They broke it for me at Cedar Creek; but I got a furlough by it, and can see my wife and children; so tain’t worth mentionin’.”
“Cedar Creek! Do you know Captain Smith? How is he?”
“He is my captain, ma’am, and he was the one what writ the letter. He is pretty bad, I am afeard.”
“This is Major Frobisher,” said Alice, as Charley entered the room. Charley read the note and put it hurriedly into his pocket. After asking the man a few questions, he was about to leave the room:
“Won’t you let me see it?” asked Alice.
“Not yet,” said Charley; and thanking the soldier, he went up-stairs to his room.
Alice heard the key turn in the lock; and when she went up-stairs, later, to beg him to come down to tea, she did not find him in the room. An hour afterwards he came in, saying that he had been to see Mrs. Poythress, that she was to set out for Harrisonburg in the morning, and that he was going with her.
It was in vain that Alice urged his weak condition. “A friend is a friend,” he kept repeating. And so Alice set about packing his valise. Just as she had finished this little task the baby stirred; Alice went up to his crib and patted him till he thought better of it and nestled down into his pillow again.
“Theodoric! I think it such a pretty name! The idea of my thinking you were going to call him Peter! Won’t you tell me something of his namesake, Lucy’s brother? Mother tells me that she vaguely remembers that there was some dreadful mystery about his loss, which occurred when I was about four years old; but she did not know the Poythresses at that time, and does not remember any of the details, if she ever knew them, in fact. Lucy, in explaining the scene at the christening yesterday, told me it was a long story, and a sad one, so I did not press her. But won’t you tell me? You never tell me anything. Now be good, for once!”