As they drew near
to the door she said hesitatingly, "Perhaps, sir, I should make an
acknowledgment of deep indebtedness to you. I saw your sabre raised
and pointed at my son's throat. Could you not have killed him had
you so wished?"
"Ah! this is Mrs. Whately. Believe me, madam, we are not so
bloodthirsty as to wish to kill, or even to injure, except so far as
the necessities of war require. If you witnessed the brief conflict
you must have observed that my effort was to capture rather than to
destroy your son's force."
"We all could not help seeing that," cried Miss Lou eagerly.
"I could not help seeing also, Miss Baron, that you exposed yourself
to danger like a veteran, and I was anxious indeed lest a stray
bullet might harm you. It was well you were not armed or we might
have fared worse," and there was so much mirth in his dark eyes that
she turned away to hide her conscious blushes.
"Well, sir," resumed Mrs. Whately with emotion, "it is not easy to
bless our enemies in this cruel war of aggression, but I must
express my gratitude to one who stayed his hand when my son's life
was within his power.
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