Page:Randall Parrish - The Red Mist.djvu/104

 88 the condition of our property. Word came to me that the house had been entered. The servants have all gone, and we were obliged to leave it unoccupied. I was delayed, seeking to discover what damage the vandals had done, and then suddenly the storm broke, and I thought it better to remain until morning."

She laughed, as though amused at her own frankness of speech.

"There, I have told you all my story, without even waiting to hear yours. 'Tis a woman's way, if her impulse be sufficiently strong."

"You mean faith in the other party?"

"Of course; one cannot be conventional in wartimes, and there is no one here to properly introduce us, even if that formality was desired. So I must accept you on trust."

"My uniform alone should be sufficient guarantee."

She laughed; her eyes sparkling.

"Well hardly. I imagine you fail to comprehend its really disreputable condition. No doubt, sir, it was at one time a thing of beauty, for I cannot justly criticise the rather fashionable cut, or the quality of cloth, but it has evidently passed through both stress and weather. No," shaking her head solemnly, yet with frank good humor in her eyes,