the rebel's gaze. "I _know_ I've seen you before."

His brother started back in his chair, and a gleam of triumph shot
across his face as he exclaimed:

"George, I know you."

"And you will have cause to know me better before this war is over,"
answered George, forgetting, in his excitement, all the precautions he
had before adopted to escape being recognized.

Had a thunderbolt fallen into the room, the astonishment of the
general and his wife could not have been greater. They sat in their
chairs as motionless as if they had been suddenly turned into stone,
gazing at their son as though they could scarcely believe their eyes,
while the fugitives sat with their hands on their weapons, wondering
what would be the result of George's imprudence. At length the
general, who was the first to recover from his astonishment,
vociferated:

"You here, you rascal--you young traitor! I thought you were safe in
the prison at Tyler again by this time."

"No doubt you did," answered George, bitterly. "But I'm a free man
now, and intend to remain so."

"You are free!" repeated the general; "that's a capital joke.
Lieutenant Somers, I charge you with his safe delivery at Tyler."

The major, greatly relieved to find that the general still considered
him a rebel, was about to promise that George should be well taken
care of, when the latter, to the astonishment of all, boldly declared:

"That is not Lieutenant Somers. These gentlemen are all my
friends--Union to the backbone."

"Eh! what?" ejaculated the general, in surprise, scarcely believing
what he heard. "These men all Yankees?"

"Yes, sir; every one of them."

"A nice-looking set, surely--a fine lot of jailbirds you are."

"So I have been feeding a lot of tyrants instead of loyal Confederate
soldiers," said Mrs. Le Dell, while the sisters gazed at the young
hero with contempt pictured in their faces.

"No, mother, you have _not_ fed tyrants," answered George, with a good
deal of spirit, "but true Union men. It is nothing you need be ashamed
of."

"Well, we _are_ ashamed of it," said the general, who seemed to be
fairly beside himself with rage. "Didn't I tell you never to darken my
door again? Where are you traveling to, and what do you intend to do?"

"I am on my way North, and I purpose to join my vessel, if she is
still afloat."

"You'll do no such thing. Just consider yourselves prisoners--all of
you."

"O no sheneral, I pelieve not," said the captain, qu