"Yes, sah; she's a pretty good looking lady, sah."
This was flattering; and the compliment was the greater as it was evidently not intended for my ears, and I resolved to myself that Uncle George's good taste should be properly rewarded.
This conversation served to give me a hint as to the kind of man I had to deal with in the quartermaster, and I doubted not that if my good looks made anything like as favorable an impression on him as they apparently had done on Uncle George, I would have but little difficulty in inducing him to tell me a good many things that it would be highly advantageous for me to know, but which it would not be exactly according to the regulations of the Federal army for him to reveal to a Confederate spy.
Having made my morning toilet, and having, in anticipation of striking up an acquaintance with the quartermaster, endeavored to make myself as attractive as possible in outward appearance, I left my room, and went and took a seat in the parlor. It was not long before I saw my gentleman, or one whom I supposed to be he, walking past the door, and looking at me with a rather curious gaze. I, however, took no notice of him, concluding that it would be more to the purpose to let him make the first advances, something that he was evidently not indisposed to do.
Breakfast was announced as ready before a great while, and with the announcement came the quartermaster's opportunity to introduce himself to me. Advancing towards me, he bowed very politely, and said, " Are you Mrs. Williams?"
"Yes, sir," I replied; "that is my name." Smiling as agreeably as he could, he said, "I owe you an apology, madam, for the disturbance I made at your door last night. I was not aware that there was a lady in possession of the room."
"O, sir," I said, "no apology is necessary, I assure you. Indeed, I rather owe you one, for I fear I must have caused you some inconvenience."
"O, not at all, madam. On the contrary, when I learned that a lady had possession of the apartment, I regretted exceedingly that I had made so much noise. We officers of the army, however, are inclined to become rather rough in our ways, owing to the associations we are thrown in with, and to our absence from female society. We forget, sometimes, that we are civilized human beings, and don't know exactly how
