ounter; but Raymond interfered.

"Redfield," he said, "you are wrong, and moreover you owe all of us an
apology for speaking in such a way of a lady in our presence. I fully
indorse all that Captain Prescott says of Miss Catherwood--I happen to
have seen instances of her glorious unselfishness and sacrifice, and I
know that she is one of God's most nearly perfect women."

"And so do I," said Winthrop, "and I," "and I," said the others.
Redfield saw that the crowd was unanimously against him and frowned.

"Oh, well, perhaps I spoke hastily and carelessly," he said. "I
apologize."

Raymond changed the talk at once.

"When do you think Grant will advance again?" he asked.

"Advance?" replied Winthrop hotly. "Advance? Why, he can't advance."

"But he came through the Wilderness."

"If he did he lost a hundred thousand men, more than Lee had altogether,
and now he's checkmated."

"He'll never see Richmond unless he comes to Libby," said Redfield
coarsely.

"I'm not so sure," said Raymond gravely. "Whatever we say to the people
and however we try to hold up their courage, we ought not to conceal the
facts from ourselves. The ports of the Confederacy are sealed up by the
Yankee cruisers. We have been shattered down South and here we are
blockaded in Richmond and Petersburg. It takes a cartload of our money
to buy a paper collar and then it's a poor collar. When I bring out the
next issue of my newspaper--and I don't know when that will be--I shall
say that the prospects of the Confederacy were never brighter; but I
warn you right now, gentlemen, that I shall not believe a single one of
my own words."

Thus they talked, but Prescott did not follow them, his mind dwelling on
Lucia and the Secretary. He was affected most unpleasantly by what he
had heard and sorry now that he had come to the hotel. When he could
conveniently do so he excused himself and went home.

He was gloomier than ever at supper and his mother uttered a mild jest
or two on his state of mind.

"You must have failed to find any friends in the city," she said.

"I found too many," he replied. "I went to the Spotswood Hotel, mother,
and I listened there to some tiresome talk about whipping the Yankees
out of their boots in the next five minutes."

"Aren't you going to do it?"

Prescott laughed.

"Mother," he said, "I wouldn't have your divided heart for anything. It
must cause you a terrible lot of worry."

"I do very well," she said, with