Faithful Margaret

d in good order upon the main army, which was soon engaged in deadly conflict with Gen. Lee's forces. It is not our intention to dwell on t

d incessantly, the tent was soaked through, their clothing was soaked through, and the

e little finger. "Sacre! mon comerade, this must end. What for we remain under fortune's ban? Jade! she laughs under the hood at our credulity in hoping for golden favors. I

t? Do your duty in the field and don't growl in the camp, and whe

he comes!" grumbled the chevalier. "Three m

o; "and I know you are an implacable de

get her. La! there she has vanished forever. But, Monsie

, chev

you

I, in

by gar! I could not be

the sake of honesty, who is such a lax companion

honor is un

re come letters from home. One for you

night forgot the anguish of his wounds and the gloom of his p

e hastily scanned the other missives, eager to fling th

ck to England and settle down in Castle Brand before the year was out. He glanced with abstracted eye over the notes of astonishment, reproach, and regrets

treachery of the woman who had penned them, an awful scowl settled upon his brow, a demoniac sneer curled his fierce lip, an

have I madly laid my life under woman's heel, to be betrayed, my foolish yearning after a better belief to be laughed at, flouted at, scorned. I might have stuck to my only deity, Fate, and let these id

e and smiled with scoffing indifference, and folding h

Brand and Calembours, received orders to march to the relief of an adv

his commands and cheering on his men to the attack, when a blaze of battery guns opened fire upo

his sword to the object of attack, the horse and his rider looming like sp

the quailing men by his fearless example, till his horse staggered u

he ground by the limbs under his horse, and a host of the foe

with their adversaries, and the colonel gave himself up for lost, when, lo! a tall figure darted from a neighboring thicket, the blue uniform of the F

urned and closed in desperate encounter. Hand to hand they struggled, now grappling with

es, and many stopped to gaze in wonder upon the desperate encounter; and St. Udo,

ampered his adversary's arm, and then, raising his clubbed gun

cry, quivered from head to foot for a moment

turned to St. Udo

! it wa

shed in the whirl of battle

"Thoms, the despised-Thoms, the sleuth-hound-the old

ness which the man whom he had spurned had done him, when a

tending his hand frankly. "I cannot express my thanks to you for your gallant

clutched his as if in a

anger, and I couldn't abear to have you

s of you," cried St. Udo, with ingenuous cand

t me some day," muttered Thoms; "so I wer

me some grudge, my goo

t me like a secret felon," exclaimed Thoms, in a hoarse voice. "And now that y

ody toil, whitened in the lurid gloom of twilight, and a te

a heavy hand up

e, earnestly. "I will not doubt your good faith again. Faith

deep emotion; he

hly glare, over the gallant colonel? He had saved him from a certain death, with mad bravery, that day; he had come to listen to

f St. Udo's entire trust removed another obstacle from his path, that o

nce we are all once more the happy family, let us be merry, let us sing, talk, and sca

"She gave me no history but the black records of vice, treach

d Calembours. "Something to mak

o finding out the world, and presided over by idiot Credulity? Or my hours devoted to revenging

athed the cheval

alembours fixed his eager eyes upon him and listened intently; and Thoms crept into t

story w

ated, their portraits distinctly painted, their characteristics faithfully recalled, with many a reference to the pocket-alb

-book behind the tent, or heard the stealthy scrape of a pencil as long, brown fingers too

the chevalier rose and st

ing in your recital, mon ami. Thanks for your amiable compl

ed from St. Udo's tent and disa

tent, and observing that St. Udo sat absorbed in dark reverie, he wrapped hims

solemnly above the camp, broken only by the faint moan

at Colonel Brand, and sank down again, and still the lonely man sat gazing

nt in the camp, a faint, uncertain tripping o

d with languid interest at a spot of

slow match! But what could bring

from the glare of the camp-fire into the shadow of his tent, and

r cigar, a brighter glow, revealing the drooping nose a

rowling about again like a cat on the leads,

own there already, stripping the dead and the living, too. Still, let us not scandalize the profession, the calling of the jackal is a noble one when there is genius and finesse to raise it f

ou've got to say-though why you can't co

tandard of the foe. Let us follow her thither. For you and for me there is neither North nor South, Federal nor Confederate. Soldiers of Fortune, we follow wherever glory leads the way, and victory fills the pocket. What

f a puppy, but to propose this to me, an Englishman and a gen

the sword of the avenging angel bef

the practical skill of an accomplished maitre d'armes his read

ts and footsteps approaching, by a quick turn he evaded St. Udo's pass, and dashed his sword out of his hand high in the air. Ere St. Udo could stoop to recover it, the traitor dealt him a m

by eager faces, and Thoms kneeling in the attitude o

colonel?" demand

has he?" cried St. Udo, getting up s

ederate?" was cr

deserted to Lee's army, and had the audacity to tell his scheme to me. Quick, Thom

al's tent as speedily as his

s taken to foil his intended treachery; but the pursuit was fr

mused over the fleeting incidents of his

h of them had not betrayed his trust? Upon the humble worm he had

deringly, as a child fits together the scattered sections of his little puzzle, St. Udo linked the parte

and found Thoms studying

on my hands, and since I can't forget the noble service you have done

el," answered Thoms

, and Heaven knows I have need of

him as intently as if the ol

ou, Thoms, to mark my gratitude, I wo

l, except to let

shot in bat

colonel, and

aid St. Udo, sunnily. "But wouldn't yo

ever le

s crowding to his lips; a thrill of mortal dread, a sure premonition of evil seized his soul, and he waited, w

gloating eyes again upon St. Udo Brand, he sought

sked Thoms, turning sharp

two hou

on

w face blanched. Ho

him," cried Thoms, vehem

et embassy

d flash of the wolfish eyes. "He has st