You need not come any farther--unless you care to." He said airily: "A country ramble with a pretty girl is always agreeable to me.

I'll come if you'll let me." She looked up at him, perplexed, undecided.
"Are you making fun of Brooklyn, or of me ?" "Of neither.

May I come ?" "If you care to," she said.
They walked on together up Fulton Street, following the stream of returning sight-seers and business men, passing recruiting stations where red-legged infantry of the 14th city regiment stood in groups reading the extras just issued by the _Eagle_ and _Brooklyn Times_ concerning the bloody riot in Baltimore and the attack on the 6th Massachusetts.

Everywhere, too, soldiers of the 13th, 38th, and 70th regiments of city infantry, in blue state uniforms, were marching about briskly, full of the business of recruiting and of their departure, which was scheduled for the twenty-third of April.
Already the complexion of the Brooklyn civic sidewalk crowds was everywhere brightened by military uniforms; cavalrymen of the troop of dragoons attached to the 8th New York, jaunty lancers from the troop of lancers attached to the 69th New York, riflemen in green epaulettes and facings, zouaves in red, blue, and brown uniforms came hurrying down the stony street to Fulton Ferry on their return from witnessing a parade of the 14th Brooklyn at Fort Greene.

And every figure in uniform thrilled the girl with suppressed excitement and pride.
Berkley, eyeing them askance, began blandly: "Citizens of martial minds, Uniforms of wondrous kinds, Wonderful the sights we see-- Ailsa, you'll agree with me." "_Are_ you utterly without human feeling ?" she demanded.