They talked of everything—­every small detail concerning their personal participation in the stirring preparations which were going on all around them; gossip of camp, of ambulance; political rumours, rumours from home and abroad; and always, through her brain, ran the insistent desire to know what Berkley was doing in his regiment; how he stood; what was thought of him; whether the Colonel had yet noticed him.  So many, many things which she had supposed no longer interested her now came back to torment her into inquiry. . . .  And Hallam talked on, his handsome sun-bronzed face aglow, his eager eyes of a lover fastened on her and speaking to her a different but silent language in ardent accompaniment to his gaily garrulous tongue.

“I tell you, Ailsa, I witnessed a magnificent sight yesterday.  Colonel Rush’s regiment of lancers, a thousand strong, rode into the meadow around Meridian Hill, and began to manoeuvre at full speed, not far away from us.  Such a regiment!  Every man a horseman; a thousand lances with scarlet pennons fluttering in the sunlight!  By ginger! it was superb!  And those Philadelphians of the 6th Pennsylvania Lancers can give our 8th Lancers a thousand keener points than the ends of their lance blades!”

“I thought your regiment was a good one,” she said surprised.

“It is—­for greenhorns.  Every time we ride out past some of these dirty blue regiments from the West, they shout:  ’Oh my!  Fresh fish!  Fresh fish!’ until our boys are crazy to lay a lance butt across their ragged blouses.”

“After all,” said Ailsa, smiling, “what troops have really seen war yet—­except the regiments at Bull Run—­and those who have been fighting in the West?”

“Oh, we are fresh fish,” laughed Hallam.  “I don’t deny it.  But Lord! what an army we look like!  It ought to scare the Johnnies into the Union again, just to look at us; but I don’t suppose it will.”

Ailsa scarcely heard him; she had caught the sound of regular and steady steps moving up and down the wooden walk outside; and she had caught glimpses, too, of a figure in the starlight, of two figures, Berkley and Letty, side by side, pacing the walk together.

To and fro, to and fro, they passed, until it seemed as though she could not endure it.  Hallam laughed and talked, telling her about something or other—­she did not know what—­but all she listened to was the steady footsteps passing, repassing.

“Your orderly—­” she scarce knew what she was saying—­“is the same—­the one you had Christmas Eve?”

“Yes,” said Hallam.  “How did you know?”

“I re—­thought so.”

“What wonderfully sharp eyes those violet ones of yours are, Ailsa!  Yes, I did take Ormond with me on Christmas Eve—­the surly brute.”

“Or—­Ormond?”

“That’s his rather high-flown name.  Curious fellow.  I like him—­or try to.  I’ve an odd idea he doesn’t like me, though.  Funny, isn’t it, how a man goes out of his way to win over a nobody whom he thinks doesn’t like him but ought to?  He’s an odd crab,” he added.