ering and disbursing officers at
the rear. Such had been old Whaling's career, and, so long as he himself
was utterly unpretentious,--never claimed to have done any war service,
and was content to drift along and draw his pay,--nobody would have said
much in detraction had it not been for his wife's persistent pushing. He
was merely second in command of his regiment, but the lady spoke of him
as "the general" on all occasions, and alluded to his immediate
superior, who had led corps and divisions in his day, as Colonel Starr.
Others--of equal rank and with the brevets of major-generals--she
similarly belittled. They were merely field-officers. She admitted the
existence of no greater man than "the general," her husband, and
whatever might be the sorrows of other parents with their children, or
housewives with their servants, Mrs. Whaling pitied,--even
condoled,--but could not sympathize. With uplifted eyes she would thank
the Giver of all good that He had blessed her with sons so noble and
distinguished, with daughters so lovely and so dutiful, with servants so
singularly devoted. In the various garrisons in which the good lady had
flourished, what mattered it that her boys were known to be graceless
young scamps whom cudgelling could not benefit, or that her gentle
daughters squabbled like cats and flew to the neighbors to spread the
tales of their wrongs and mamma's injustice? What mattered it that her
paragons of servants left her one after another and swore they couldn't
stay in a house where there was so much spying and fault-finding? There
was no shaking Mrs. Whaling's Christian determination to run with
patience the race thus set before her.

Gleason found in converse with her so much that reminded him of the
mother he had lost, alas! so many years ago, and Mrs. Whaling welcomed
him to the consolations of her sanctified spirit. Together they deplored
the frivolity and vices of the younger officers (Ray came in for a good
showing-up just there, no doubt), and together they projected the
reformation of some of her favorites in the garrison. A wise man was
Gleason. She and her meek and lowly husband could be useful--very useful
in time of need. And did he abandon his devotions to Miss Sanford? No,
indeed! but they were modified as became the subject. He called less
frequently; he became less personal, less aggressive in his talk; he had
naught but good, or silence, for his comrades, and charity for the
world. He thr