"A thousand pardons, Mademoiselle." He shot his sword into its scabbard, and laughed again.

"Might I inquire as to what you are called by your--er--justly respectful relatives and friends ?" "Virgie," she answered simply.
"Ah," he approved, "and a very pretty name! Virgie what ?" "My whole name is Miss Virginia Houston Gary." The soldier started, glanced at his troopers, then back to the child again: "Is Herbert Cary your father ?" He waited for her answer, and got it, straight from a baby's shoulder: "_Mister_ Herbert Cary is--yes, sir." The enemy smiled and made her another bow.
"I stand corrected.

Where is your father now ?" Virgie hesitated.
"I--I don't know." The voice of her inquisitor took on a sterner tone: "Is he here ?--hiding somewhere?
Tell me!" Her little heart was pounding, horribly, and the hot blood came into her cheeks; but she looked him squarely in the face, and lied--for General Lee: "No, sir.

Daddy _was_ here--but he's gone away." The enemy was looking at her, intently, and his handsome, piercing eyes, grew most uncomfortable.

She hung for an instant between success and sobbing failure, till a bubble from Mother Eve rose up in her youthful blood and burst into a spray of perfect feminine deceit.