You don't need any whisky for your sick boys, do you?"

Ailsa smiled and shook her head, saying they had not yet been
assigned to duty.

"I haven't anything else to offer you except tobacco," said the
Major ruefully, and subsided.

At Wilmington, however, he got out, and presently reappeared with
hard-boiled eggs and sandwiches, a big bottle of cold, sweet milk,
and a basket of fruit. Letty awoke; realised that Ailsa had been
holding her in her arms; looked at her in confusion, then
impulsively bent and laid her lips against Ailsa's hands.

"Why--child--I didn't mind," faltered Ailsa, flushing in response
to Letty's swift emotion. "See what this very kind officer has
brought us for dinner, dear! Isn't it delicious?"

They were as hungry as two school children and ate everything; and
by and by the Major of heavy artillery came back and reversed the
seat he had been occupying, and arranged it so he could sit facing
them. He was fat, red-faced, with a pair of terrific moustaches,
and a closely clipped head showing two scars.

"I've daughters older than you, ma'am," he said, in part
explanation of his friendliness. "One's got a new baby. He's a
devil!"

"W-what?" asked Ailsa.

"The right kind of devil, ma'am. I've been to see him! He wanted
my sword; he tried to chew off my shoulder straps; he almost
impaled himself on my spurs. By heaven, ma'am, _that's_ a boy for
you!"

Ailsa smiled. She knew about babies; implanted in her had always
been a perfect madness to possess one.

She and the red-faced Major talked babies. Letty, knowing nothing
about babies and not deeply interested, lay back in her seat,
watching Ailsa in the dim light of the ceiling lamps. She seemed
never to have enough of Ailsa. It had been so from the first.

In Baltimore dawn was breaking when Ailsa awoke at the summons of
the major; and he remained devoted to the two nurses of Sainte
Ursula, attending to their baggage and transfer across the city,
finding seats in the waiting-room already invaded by the officers
of several regiments in transit, and finally saw them safely aboard
the cars again.

"Good-bye, little ladies," he said cheerily. "If I'm hit, God send
one of you to wash my face for me. My card, ladies--if I may be
permitted the honour. I'm to be at Fortress Monroe as soon as my
command leaves Baltimore."

After he had gone away, Ailsa looked at his card:

A. J. DENISLOW
MAJOR, ART., U. S. A.

"I