Daisy," he said at last; "but we can find out. I will
ask Captain Southgate or somebody else."

"Thank you," I said. "Who are those, Dr. Sandford, those others dressed
in dark frock coats, with bright bars over their shoulders?--like that
one just now going out of the gate?"

"Those are officers of the army."

"There are a good many of them. What are they here for? Are there many
soldiers here?"

"No--" said the doctor, "I believe not. I think these gentlemen are
put here to look after the grey coats--the cadets, Daisy, The cadets
are here in training, you know."

"But that officer who just went out--who is walking over the plain
now--he wore a sword, Dr. Sandford; and a red sash. They do not all
wear them. What is that for?"

"What is under discussion?" said Mrs. Sandford, coming out. "How well
Daisy looks this morning, don't she?"

"She has caught the military fever already," said the doctor. "I
brought her here for a sedative; but I find it is no such matter."

"Sedative!" said Mrs. Sandford; but at this instant my ears were
"caught" by a burst of music on the plain. Mrs. Sandford broke into a
fit of laughter. The doctor's hand touched my shoulder.

"Get your hat, Daisy," he said, "I will go with you to hear it."

I might tell of pleasure from minute to minute of that day, and of the
days following. The breath of the air, the notes of the wind instruments,
the flicker of sunlight on the gravel, all come back to me as I write,
and I taste them again. Dr. Sandford and I went down the road I have
described, leading along the edge of the plain at its northern border;
from which the view up over the river, between the hills, was very
glorious. Fine young trees shaded this road; on one side a deep hollow or
cup in the green plain excited my curiosity; on the other, lying a little
down the bank, a military work of some odd sort planted with guns. Then
one or two pyramidal heaps of cannon-balls by the side of the road,
marked this out as unlike all other roads I had ever traversed. At the
farther side of the plain we came to the row of houses I had seen from a
distance, which ran north and south, looking eastward over all the plain.
The road which skirted these houses was shaded with large old trees, and
on the edge of the greensward under the trees we found a number of iron
seats placed for the convenience of spectators. And here, among many
others, Dr. Sandford and I sat down.

There was a long line of the gre