conferring with some of his chief officers."

A great marquee stood in the shade of a grove, only two or three hundred
yards away. Its sides were open, as the heat was great, and Harry saw
the commander-in-chief within, talking earnestly with men in the uniform
of generals. Longstreet, Early, Hill and others were there. Harry was
somewhat abashed, but he had the moral support of Colonel Talbot, and,
after the first few moments of embarrassment, he told his story in a
direct and incisive manner. The officers listened with attention.

"It confirms the other reports," said Beauregard.

"It goes further," said Longstreet. "Our young friend here is obviously
a lad of intelligence and discernment and what he saw in Washington
shows that the North is resolved to crush us. The battle that we are
going to fight will not be the last battle by any means."

"Each side is too sanguine," said Hill.

"You have done well, Lieutenant Kenton," said Beauregard, "and now you
can rejoin your regiment. You are to receive a promotion of one grade."

Harry was glad to leave the marquee and hurry toward the camp of the
Invincibles. The first of his friends whom he saw was Happy Tom Langdon,
bathing his face in a little stream that flowed into Young's Branch.
He walked up and smote him joyously on the back. Langdon sprang to his
feet in anger and exclaimed:

"Hey, you fellow, what do you mean by that?"

He saw before him a tall, gawky youth in ill-fitting clothes, his face a
mask of dust. But this same dusty youth grinned and replied:

"I hit you once, and if you don't speak to me more politely I'll hit you
twice."

Langdon stared. Then recognition came.

"Harry Kenton, by all that's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "And so you've
come back! I was afraid you never would! What have you been doing,
Harry?"

"I've been pretty busy. I drove in the right wing of the Yankee army,
put to flight a couple of brigades in their center, then I went on to
Washington and had a talk with Lincoln. I told him the North would have
me to reckon with if he kept on with this war, but he said he believed
he'd go ahead anyhow. I even mentioned your name to him, but the menace
did no good."

Langdon called to St. Clair and soon Harry was surrounded by friends who
gave him the warmest of greetings and who insisted upon the tale of his
adventures, a part of which he was free to tell. Then a new uniform was
brought to him, and, after a long and