Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/184

MY LADY OF THE SOUTH There was that in both tone and action to urge me forward.

"It is odd you should trust me so wholly," I ventured, "a Yankee and a stranger, and one under such grave suspicion of crime."

She did not answer, or appear to distinguish my words.

"Why should you trust me, Miss Denslow?"

"Indeed I do not know," as if the thought had but just occurred to her, "only the act is natural to me. I either trust fully, or not at all. I have been like that from a child, the servant of ﬁrst impressions."

"And your ﬁrst impression of me was favorable?"

"Had it not been," she acknowledged frankly, "I would certainly never be here."

"Yet you have not forgotten my uniform?"

"No, although there are times when I seem to forget," her voice hesitated, yet finally concluded, "and times when I wish you would not remind me of it."

"I do not," I returned hastily, "remind you of the color I wear with any purpose of making it a barrier between us. I fail to understand why it should be. I respect and honor you for your loyalty to the cause you have espoused. and surely you can believe me equally sincere in my principles. We are what we are in such matters very largely through birth and environment, but we remain men and women just the same. our hearts and natures unchanged."

"Yes, I know. I have learned that," but with a bit of doubt in her tone, "only my education has not been of the kind to make this an easy lesson. I was brought [ 174 ]