ear for music!" she said."There is positively no possession which does not bring someinconvenience on the possessor. My dear Daisy, you are inpain; those were not tears of joy; what did that chant say toyour sensibilities? To mine it only sounded strength, andvictory. If the arms of those - _what_ are they? - thatregiment, - if their arms are only constituted proportionatelyto their throats, they must do good fighting. I should thinknothing would stand before them. Daisy, they will certainlybear down all opposition. Are you afraid? Here is the Fourth,and Washington safe yet, for all the Southern bluster."
"I do not think you had better try to go to the Capitol," thedoctor put in.
"What, to see the meeting of Congress? Oh, yes, we will. I amnot going to miss it."
"Daisy will not?" he asked.
But Daisy would. I would try every chance. I did not at themoment care for Congress; my wish was to find Mr. Thorold. Atthe review I knew I had little reason to hope for what Iwanted; at the Capitol - after all, what chance there? whenMr. Thorold was drilling troops from morning till night;unless he had been already sent out of Washington. But I wouldgo. If I had dared, I would have expressed a desire to seesome troops drilled. I did not dare.
I remember nothing of the scene at the Capitol, except the seaof heads, the crowd, and the heat; my intense scrutiny of thecrowd, and the weariness that grew on me. Mrs. Sandford hadfriends to talk to; I only wished I need not speak to anybody.It was a weary day; for I could not see Mr. Thorold, and Icould not hear the President's Message. I was so placed or sosurrounded that it came to me only in bits. Wearily we wenthome.
At least, Dr. Sandford and I. Mrs. Sandford tried in vain torally us.
"There is to be a marriage in camp," she said. "What do youthink of that, Daisy? We can have invitations, we like. Shallwe like? Wouldn't it be a curious scene? Daisy is interested,I see. Grant, no. What is the matter, Grant?"
"I hope, nothing," said the doctor.
"Will you go, if I get you an invitation?"
"Who is to be married?"
"La fille du r?giment."
"It takes two," said the doctor.
"Oh! The other is a sergeant, I believe; some sergeant of thesame regiment. They are to be married to-morrow evening; andit is to be by moonlight and torchlight, and everything odd;up on that beautiful hill where we were the other day, wherethe trees and the tents make such a pretty mingling with redcaps and everything else."
"I hope the ceremony will be performed by comet light, too,"said Dr. Sandford. "It ought, to be in character."
"You do not feel well to-night, Grant?"
"Tired. So is Daisy. Are you tired of Washington, Daisy?"
"Oh - no!" I said eagerly. "Not at all. I like very much to behere."
"Then we will go and see the sergeant's wedding," said he.
But we did not; for the next day it was found to be only tootrue that Dr. Sandford was unwell. Perhaps he had been workingtoo hard; at any rate, he was obliged to confess to being ill;and a day or two more settled the question of the amount ofhis indisposition. He had a low fever, and was obliged to giveup to it.
CHAPTER IV.
ON FOOT
Mrs Sandford devoted herself to the doctor. Of course, asudden stop was put to our gay amusements. I could not ride ordrive out any more; nor would I go to entertainments anywhere.The stir and the rush of the world had quietly dropped me outof it.
Yet I was more than ever eager to be in it and know what wasdoing; and above all, what one was doing. I studied thenewspapers, more assiduously than I had hitherto had time for.They excited me almost unbearably with the desire to know morethan they told, and with unnumbered fears and anxieties. Itook to walking, to wear away part of the restless uneasinesswhich had settled upon me. I walked in the morning; I walkedat evening, when the sun's light was off the avenue and theair a little cooler; and kept myself out of the house as muchas I could.
It was so that I came upon my object, when I was not seekingit. One evening I was walking up Pennsylvania avenue; slowly,for the evening was warm, although the sun had gone down.Slowly and disconsolately. My heart began to fail me. Ipondered writing a word to Mr. Thorold, now that I wascompletely at liberty; and I wished I had done it at once uponDr. Sandford's becoming ill. Two or three days' time had beenlost. I should have to take the note to the post-officemyself; but that would not be impossible now, as it had beenuntil now. While I was thinking these things, I saw a horsemanriding down the avenue; a single horseman, coming at a fastgallop. I had never seen Mr. Thorold on horseback; yet fromalmost the first sight of this mounted figure my heart saidwith a bound who it was. I stood still by the curbstone,looking breathlessly. I felt more and more sure as he drewnearer, if that can be when I had been sure all along; but,would he know me? Would he even see me, in the first place? Somany ladies walk on Pennsylvania avenue; why should his eyepick me out? and he was riding so fast too, there would be butone instant to see or miss me. I would not like to go againthrough the suspense of that minute, though it was almost toointense to be conscious pain. I stood, all eyes, while thatfigure came on, steady, swift, and moveless, but for the quickaction of the horse's muscles. I dared not make a sign,although I felt morally sure who it was, until he was quiteclose to me; then, I do not know whether I made it or not. Ithink not; but the horse wheeled, just as he was past me; Idid not know a horse could wheel so short; and the rider haddismounted at the same instant it seemed, for he was there, atmy side, and my hand in his. I certainly forgot at that minuteall I had stored up to say to Mr. Thorold, in the one greatthrob of joy. He did not promise to be easily managed, either.
"Daisy!" was his first question - "Daisy, where have youbeen?"
"I have been here - a while."
"I heard it from Aunt Catherine yesterday - I should havefound you before another day went over - Daisy, how long?"
I hardly liked to tell him, he looked so eager and soimperative, and so much as if he had a right to know, and tohave known. But he did not wait for the answer; and instead,drawing my arm within his own, bent down to me with looks andwords so glad, so tender, so bright, that I trembled with anew feeling, and all the blood in my heart came surging up tomy face and away again. The bridle was over his other arm, andthe horse with drooped head walked on the other side of him,while Mr. Thorold led me on in this fashion. I do not know howfar. I do not know what he said or what I answered, except inbits. I know that he made me answer him. I was not capable ofthe least self-assertion. What startled me at last out of thisabstraction, was the sudden fear that we might be observed. Ilooked up and said something about it. Only to my confusion;for Thorold laughed at me, softly, but how he laughed - at me.I tried a diversion.
"Have you been drilling troops to-day?"
"All day; or I should have come to find and scold you. By theway, how long _have_ you been in Washington, Daisy?"
"I should not have thought you would ride such a pace at theend of a day's work - you did not ride like a tired man."
"I am not a tired man. Didn't I tell you, I had a letter fromAunt Catherine yesterday. I have felt no fatigue since. Whendid you come here, Daisy?"
"Christian, I could not let you know, for I was with myguardian - he is a sort of guardian for the time - and -"
"Well? I know your guardian. Dr. Sandford, isn't he"
"Yes, but he would not like to see you."
"I don't care whether he likes it or not, Daisy."
"Yes, but, you see, Christian, it would be not pleasant if hewere to carry me off away from Washington; as he took me fromWest Point last year."
"To get you away from me?"
"He would, if he suspected anything."
"Daisy, I do not like suspicions. The best way is to let himknow the truth."
"Oh, no, Christian!"
"Why not, little one?"
"I would rather my father and mother heard it first from youin person," I answered, stumbling in my speech.
"So would I, Daisy; but the times are against us. A lettermust be my messenger; a
nd Dr. Sandford has nothing to do withthe matter."
"He would think he had," I answered, feeling the difficultiesin my way.
"Aren't you my Daisy?" he said, looking down into my face withhis flashing eyes, all alight with fire and pleasure.
"But that -" I began.
"No evasions, Daisy. Answer. Aren't you mine?"
I said "yes" meekly. But what other words I had purposed toadd were simply taken off my lips. I looked round, in scaredfashion, to see who was near; but Thorold laughed softlyagain.
"It is too dark for people to make minute investigations,Daisy."
"Dark!" said I. "Oh, Christian, I must go home. I shall bemissed, and Mrs. Sandford