Page:The woman in battle .djvu/321

Rh On one occasion I heard feminine voices and footsteps approaching, and prepared myself for the ordeal which I would be compelled to go through with. During the two years and more I had been wearing male attire, 1 had not only learned the general carriage of a man, but had picked up a good many little masculine traits, which I had practised until I was quite perfect in them. I relied greatly upon these to aid me in maintaining my incognito, for they were eminently characteristic, and well calculated to throw a suspicious person off guard. So, when I heard these visitors coming, I stuck my feet up on the window-sill, and, just as they were opening the door, I turned my head, and spit.

This action attracted the attention of the youngest of the two ladies who were entering, immediately; and I heard her say in a whisper to the elder, "O, ma, that can't be a woman! See how he spits!" I saw that my little ruse was a success, and laughed inwardly at the impression it made on the ladies.

They were a mother and daughter, and had evidently come to remonstrate with me, in good set terms, about the impropriety of my costume. One little peculiarly mannish gesture, however, so completely confounded them that they did not venture to approach the subject they had in their minds except in the most roundabout way. They were very nice people, and were disposed to be as kind to me as they possibly could; but I did not think proper to give them any satisfaction with regard to what they were most concerned about; and, after a somewhat embarrassed conversation, during which they offered to serve me in any way in their power, they took their departure as wise as they came. Not long after, I had another visitor of a somewhat different kind This was a motherly old lady, who seemed to consider that her years and experience gave her a right to speak to me in plain words, whether I was a man or a woman. She accordingly, without any ceremony, began to subject me to a very rigid cross-examination ; but I replied to her questions in a manner that was anything but to her satisfaction. The result was, that both of us at length began to be somewhat vexed, and, as I could not understand what right she had to under take such a task as that she was then engaged in; and consid-