“You will not even shake hands?” “I—­I—­yes, of course, I will do that.”  Our fingers clasped, and we stood face to face, our eyes meeting through the darkness.  The thrill of contact, the wild hope that this girl really cared unusually for me, became almost overpowering.  I longed to crush her in my arms, to pour into her ears the passionate words that burned on my lips.  I forgot everything except her presence, her nearness, the soft pressure of her hand.

“Billie!  Billie!”

“No!  No!” and she had instantly released herself.  “You forget yourself; you forget my position.  Now it is good-bye.”

“You positively mean this?”

“I do.  I am a soldier’s daughter, Lieutenant Galesworth, and I am trusting you to act as a soldier and a gentleman.”

Under the cloak of darkness my face burned, feeling the reproof of this appeal, realizing that I merited the sting.  For the instant my actions, my presumption, seemed contemptible.  I had taken advantage of her kindness, her sympathy, her trust, and openly misconstrued womanly friendliness into a stronger emotion.  The rebuke was perfectly just; I could not even find words of apology, but turned away silently.  And she made no effort to stay me, either by word or motion.

I had crept forward as far as the low fence before the numbness left me, before I came back to full comprehension of my situation, and the serious work confronting me.  Then the soldier spirit reawoke into alert action, my thought intent upon escape, my nerves steadying down for the coming trial.  I recall glancing back, imagining I saw the white glimmer of her dress against the dark shrubbery, and then I resolutely drove all memory of her from my mind, concentrating every instinct to the one immediate purpose of overcoming the stable guard.  This was not altogether new work to one inured as a scout, but sufficiently serious to call forth every precaution.  Cautiously I crept along the fence until I discovered an opening large enough to crawl through, scarcely rustling the concealing leaves, and resting flat on the opposite side while I surveyed the prospect.  I was not far now from the south wall of the stable, which loomed black and shapeless against the sky.  Not a movement revealed the whereabouts of the guard, and, with the girl’s description to guide me, I concluded the fellow would be stationed at the other extremity of the building.  Convinced as to this probability I dragged my body slowly forward until I could touch the log wall.  I could see better now, being myself in the denser shadow, and knew the passage was clear to the corner.