"Let them follow poor old Peter," she said. "We will outwit them,
never fear. If necessary, Mr. Barnes, we can travel with the company
for days and days. I think I should rather enjoy it. If you can manage
to get word to my friends in New York, to relieve their anxiety, I
shall be more than grateful. I am sure they will decide that you are
acting for the best in every particular. It would grieve them,--yes,
it would distress them greatly,--if I were to be subjected to an
inquiry at the hands of the authorities. The notoriety would be--
harrowing, to say the least. Moreover, the disclosures would certainly
bring disaster upon those who are working so loyally to right a grave
wrong. They will understand, and they will thank you not only for all
that you have done for me but for the cause I support."
"The first time I ever saw you, I said to myself that you were a
brave, indomitable little soldier," he said warmly. "I am more than
ever convinced of it now."
"The men of my family have been soldiers for ten generations," she
said simply, as if that covered everything. "They haven't all been
heroes but none of them has been a coward."
"I can believe that," he said.
Pages:
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354