"Oh, Dr. Durham, I am so glad you have come!" she exclaimed. "I've been depressed to-day, watching the soldiers go by. All day long the poor foot-sore fellows have been passing. I stopped some of them to ask about Colonel Gaston and I thought one of them knew something and would not tell me. I brought him in and gave him dinner, and tried to coax him, but he only looked wistfully at me, stammered and said he didn't know. But some how I feel that he did. Come in Doctor, and say something to cheer me. If I only had your faith in God!"
"I have need of it all to-night, Madam!" he answered with bowed head.
"Then you have heard bad news?"
"I have heard news,—wonderful news of faith and love, of heroism and knightly valour, that will be a priceless heritage to you and yours. Nelse has returned—"
"God have mercy on me!"—she gasped covering her face and raising her arm as though cowering from a mortal blow.
"Here is Nelse, Madam. Hear his story. He has only told me a word or two." Nelse had slipped quietly in the back door.
"Yassum. Missy, I'se home at las'."
She looked at him strangely for a moment. "Nelse, I've dreamed and dreamed of your coming, but always with him. And now you come alone to tell me he is dead. Lord have pity! there is nothing left!" There was a far-away sound in her voice as though half dreaming.
"Yas, Missy, dey is, I jes seed him—my young Marster—dem bright eyes, de ve'y nose, de chin, de mouf! He walks des like Marse Charles, he talks like him, he de ve'y spit er him, en how he hez growed! He'll be er man fo you knows it. En I'se got er letter fum his Pa fur him, an er letter fur you, Missy."
