Daisy shook her head and did not join in his laugh.

“Honestly, Daisy, tell me true; what did you want to know about soldiers for?  I have answered you; now answer me.  I am curious.”

Daisy did not answer, and seemed in doubt.

“Will you not honour me so far?”

Daisy hesitated still, and looked at the Captain more than once.  But Capt.  Drummond was a great favourite, and had earned her favour partly by never talking nonsense to her; a great distinction.

“I will tell you when we get back to the house,” she said,—­“if you will not speak of it, Capt.  Drummond.”

The Captain could get no nearer his point; and he and Daisy spent a good while longer by the river-side, erecting fortifications and studying the charge of the Light brigade.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Captain was not able to claim Daisy’s promise immediately.  On their return to the house he was at once taken up with some of the older people, and Daisy ran off to her long delayed dinner.

The next day in the course of her wanderings about the grounds, which were universal, Daisy came upon her cousin Preston.  He sat in the shade of a clump of larches under a great oak, making flies for fishing; which occupation, like a gentlemanly boy as he was, he had carried out there where the litter of it would be in nobody’s way.  Preston Gary was a very fine fellow; about sixteen, a handsome fellow, very spirited, very clever, and very gentle and kind to his little cousin Daisy.  Daisy liked him much, and was more entirely free with him perhaps than with any other person in the family.  Her seeing him now was the signal for a joyous skip and bound which brought her to his side.

“O Preston, are you going fishing?”

“Perhaps—­if I have a good day for it.”

“When?”

“To-morrow.”

“Who’s going with you?”

“Nobody, I reckon.  Unless you want to go, Daisy.”

“O Preston, may I go with you?  Where are you going?”

“Daisy, I’m bound for the Hillsdale woods, back of Crum Elbow—­they say there are first-rate trout streams there; but I am afraid you can’t go so far.”

“O I can go anywhere, Preston! with Loupe, you know.  You’re going to ride, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but Loupe!  What shall we do with Loupe?  You see, I shall be gone the whole day, Daisy—­it’s likely.  You’d get tired.”

“Why we could find somewhere to put Loupe—­Sam could take care of him.  And I should like to go, Preston, if you think I would not frighten the fish.”

“O if Sam’s going along, that is another matter,” said Preston. “You frighten the fish, Daisy!  I don’t believe you can do that for anything.  But I won’t let you get into mischief.”

So it was settled, and Daisy’s face looked delighted; and for some time she and Preston discussed the plan, the fish, and his flies.  Then suddenly Daisy introduced another subject.