s were nearer.
It was only a question of sacrificing a part of his army or the whole of
it. Warren was right to urge the measure, and it must be pressed upon
his Council. But Pepperell felt as if he were being asked to sign a
hundred death-warrants.

It was not quite time for the members of his Council to assemble. He
went to the nearest battery where the firing was hottest, sighted the
direction of the guns, examined the state of the city walls where these
had been played upon by them, cheered the gunners with his praise, even
jested with one of them, and left the men more full of confidence in
him, more desirous than ever to please him, and, if possible, more
resolved to win the day. Not a trace of anxiety in his face or his tones
had betrayed the weight that was upon him. Then he went back to his
tent. The Council had assembled. When he took his place at the head,
he had forgotten the incident that a few minutes before had moved him
to laughter.

Archdale stood motionless. The underbrush hid him from the speakers, and
he was too far off to hear a word. It seemed to him that Elizabeth
wished to shorten the interview, for soon Edmonson with another of his
inimitable bows retired and she passed on. As Stephen caught sight of
her face he saw that it was troubled. "He shall not persecute her," he
said to himself. Nancy had gone on while Edmonson was speaking to her
mistress, and now Elizabeth following was almost at the door of her
temporary home, when a hand was laid heavily upon Archdale's shoulder,
and Vaughan's hearty voice cried;--

"Come on! I'm going to speak to our charming, brave young lady there.
I want to tell her how proud of her courage I am. Come on! he repeated.
Stephen followed. He had not taken her determination in this way. He
thought her unwise and rash, and hated to have her there. And yet he
could not deny that the camp had seemed a different place since she had
entered it.

"You take it that way," he said to Vaughan. "But I think we should be
feeling that she may get hit some of these days, or be down with fever."

"We'll hope not," returned the other cheerfully. "Let us look on the
bright side. She is doing a work of mercy, and we will trust that a
merciful Providence will protect her. We were just talking about you,
Mistress Royal," he continued, striding up to Elizabeth and grasping her
hand warmly. "Stephen, here, says he's always thinking you'll get hit
somehow, or get a fever. I say, look