l stores, its two
excellent surgeons, these rumours found little credence.

And now, here in the vicinity, Ailsa's delicate nostrils shrank
from the stench arising from the "Four Camps"; and she saw the
emaciated forms lining the hillside, and she heard the horrible and
continuous coughing.

"Do you know," she said to Letty the next morning, "I am going to
write to Miss Dix and inform her of conditions in that camp."

And she did so, perfectly conscious that she was probably earning
the dislike of the entire medical department. But hundreds of
letters like hers had already been sent to Washington, and already
the Sanitary Commission was preparing to take hold; so, when at
length one morning an acknowledgment of her letter was received, no
notice was taken of her offer to volunteer for service in that
loathsome camp, but the same mail brought orders and credentials
and transportation vouchers for herself and Letty.

Letty was still asleep, but Ailsa went up and waked her when the
hour for her tour of duty approached.

"What do you think!" she said excitedly. "We are to pack up our
valises and go aboard the _Mary Lane_ to-morrow. She sails with
hospital stores. _What_ do you think of that?"

"Where are we going?" asked Letty, bewildered.

"You poor, sleepy little thing," said Ailsa, sitting down on the
bed's shaky edge, "I'm sure I don't know where we're going, dear.
Two Protestant nurses are coming here to superintend the removal of
our sick boys--and Dr. West says they are old and ugly, and that
Miss Dix won't have any more nurses who are not over thirty and who
are not _most_ unattractive to look at."

"I wonder what Miss Dix would do if she saw us," said Letty
naively, and sat up in bed; rubbing her velvety eyes with the backs
of her hands. Then she yawned, looked inquiringly at Ailsa,
smiled, and swung her slender body out of bed.

While she was doing her hair Ailsa heard her singing to herself.
She was very happy; another letter from Dr. Benton had arrived.

Celia, who had gone to Washington three days before, to see Mr.
Stanton, returned that evening with her passes and order for
transportation; and to Ailsa's astonishment and delight she found
that the designated boat was the _Mary Lane_.

But Celia was almost too nervous and too tired to talk over the
prospects.

"My dear," she said wearily, "that drive from the Chain Bridge to
Alexandria has mos'ly killed me. I vow and declare there was nev