between the exhilarating effects of the breakfast-table chat with fenie, and the furtive, embarrassed, yet roguish look which fenie had worn for a fraction of a second, when trixy had made her unexpected remark in the fort about marriage, harry trewman was the happiest youth in the state of virginia.
nevertheless, he did not forget his business duties or his business training. the lumber case at norfolk had disturbed his dreams at night, and was now troubling his day-dreams; the best way to avoid any more annoyance was to hurry over to norfolk and settle the business at once.
besides, now seemed the proper time to come to a definite understanding with fenie—an understanding of the kind frequently completed by the presentation of a ring containing a stone, preferably a diamond. harry had seen in a norfolk shop a ring, which he thought would entirely answer the purpose, and he would buy it that very morning. before he started, however, he took the precaution to beg his sister, half shamefacedly, to keep all designing bachelors from fenie for a few hours.
"trust me for that," said kate, in her most earnest manner. "i shall keep fenie under my own wing to-day; i shall make sure, at least, that lieutenant jermyn doesn't injure any of your chances."
kate was as good as her word, and as she and fenie were really very fond of each other, they were together all morning. trixy was with them; her honest little heart was still full of the injunction to take the best of care of her aunt fee, but the child found little to do but sit still and listen. the two young women talked as freely and incessantly as any other couple of old acquaintances, amid scenes entirely new, and with plenty of time at their disposal, and trixy heard much that set her to thinking; but she had so often been cautioned against asking questions, since she had been at old point, that she found it necessary to think out her puzzles for herself.
kate's principal cause of fear, also her principal object of admiration, lieutenant jermyn, did not reappear during the morning, and kate was mystified, as well as somewhat troubled. was it possible that he preferred to chat with fenie only while her sister was present—or when he could find her alone? if so, matters were more serious than kate had thought. perhaps—but, pshaw!—kate rebuked herself with an indignant blush, for the thought that perhaps jermyn might desire to chat with kate herself, and preferred not to talk to two young women at once.
yet she continued to wonder. like most other young women, and, indeed, like all americans [pg 70]not well acquainted with the army, she was of the impression that officers had nothing to do, while not on parade, but make themselves pleasing to the general eye, and to young women in particular. she did not know that most of the officers at fort monroe were either instructors or students at a most exacting post-graduate school of artillery, where each was expected to impart or receive such advanced knowledge as would suffice the commandant of a great fort or the chief of artillery of an army.
as kate wondered, and feared, and imagined it occurred to her that the most sensible course would be to "draw out" fenie. she felt toward the girl as any young person feels toward one several years younger; she had a sense of condescension and tolerance which was not always under good control. fenie was young, so she was artless, unsuspecting, and transparent. what would be easier than to learn from her, not for curiosity's sake, but for harry's and fenie's own, all that there might be between her and lieutenant jermyn?
so, as the two girls finally seated themselves on the piazza to look at the noonday promenaders, kate asked suddenly:
"what becomes of all the men here in the middle of the day?"
"oh, they are somewhere with one another, i suppose," replied fenie. "men are very interesting to one another, don't you think so? there's a club in the fort to which many of them go, i believe."
"probably those who aren't soldiers go there [pg 71]to meet those who are," said kate. "what fine men those army officers seem to be! i've seen them only at long range—i believe that's a military expression, isn't it?—but they seem so manly and self-possessed; so unlike the little fellows who pass for men in new york."
"trif," said fenie, "has often insisted that soldiers have learned the secret of never growing old, and she seems to be right. from the youngest to the oldest, i've found them courteous, agreeable and—and—"
"deferential?"
"yes; that is just the word. there's nothing consequential or silly about them, as there is about so many young men and old beaux at home."
"you lucky girl!" exclaimed kate. "i wonder that your good fortune in meeting such clever fellows hasn't turned your head."
fenie indulged in a smile that kate thought quite unusual in a girl so young, a smile which was almost grim, as she replied:
"there's a saying in the family that the wardlow head never gets entirely off the wardlow shoulders, and i'm trying to live up to it. still, i've enjoyed myself greatly in the general company here."
"general company? no man in particular? what a lot of girls whom we both know, would give their heads for your chance. do you know, fenie dear, i wouldn't have wondered if by this time you had lost your heart to some one quite competent to care for it."
fenie looked so astonished, and also so hurt, [pg 72]that kate called herself a brute. evidently harry was safe; the assurance was so exhilarating that kate lost her own head for a moment or two and began to talk at random.
"what a capital fellow lieutenant jermyn is!" she said. "do you know, it was merely trixy who introduced him to me, yet he at once made me feel entirely at ease with him."
"oh, he's charming," replied fenie. "he's been very kind to trif and me. he seems to know every one, and he's made us acquainted with many pleasant people. indeed, i suppose that is the reason trif is not with us now; she probably is chatting with people whom jermyn has introduced."
"what a social paragon he must be! i wish he were here now, for i want to ask questions about scores of people whom i am meeting."
"the admiral could answer them, and quite as well, if he were here," said fenie innocently.
"the admiral?"
"yes." then fenie began to tell what a delightful gentleman the old admiral was. in the meantime trixy was looking about for the admiral himself, for it was about the time for the daily inspection of sand-wells and the award of the prize. but trixy could not see the genial old man anywhere, although she strolled the entire length of the piazza, and then went into the office to ask questions. the admiral had gone to the club, in the fort, some one said. well, the fort was but two or three hundred steps away, trixy knew, for she had been there several times already. she knew, too, where the [pg 73]club was, for lieutenant jermyn had taken her there to show her the picture of a distant relation of her mother who had been a soldier.
to the club trixy went, but an elderly officer whom she met said that the admiral was not there.
"that's too bad," said trixy, "'cause some ladies wants him."
another elderly officer, who was present, admitted that it certainly was too bad, and said that the admiral would be greatly disappointed.
"mebbe," said trixy, a happy thought coming to her mind, "mebbe lieutenant jermyn is here."
"he is in one of the section rooms," replied one of the officers.
"he's saying his lessons," added the other "do you ever have lessons, little girl?"
"yes, indeed," sighed trixy. "some of 'em's awful hard, too, though mamma helps me all she can. but do you mean that a great big man like lieutenant jermyn goes to school?"
"indeed, i do."
"dear me!" exclaimed the child. then she thought a moment, and continued:
"do you suppose his teacher would let him out for a while? other scholars get let out of school sometimes, when somebody needs to see them very much."
"i think it doubtful," said one of the officers, but the other, with a wink at his companion, said:
"one never knows what can be done until one has tried. just go over to that door where you see a cat sitting, ask for the teacher, and tell him what you want."
"thank you," said trixy, trotting briskly in the direction indicated, while one officer said to the other:
"colonel, when will you outgrow your fondness for practical jokes?"
"not while i live, i hope. besides, where's the harm? amperthwaite, the instructor of that section, will be cleverer for the remainder of the day, after such an interruption, and the boys will be glad of a moment's truce. i wish i could be there to see and listen."
the door was open, and jermyn was standing in front of a large blackboard covered with marks which reminded trixy of the geometrical puzzles which her father sometimes cut from cardboard for her. the instructors and the other officers were looking at the board, and jermyn was talking, so no one noticed the little girl in the doorway, and trixy was beginning to feel embarrassed. suddenly an officer, who had children of his own, attracted attention by coughing violently. every one looked at him, and he, in turn, looked toward the door.
"are you the teacher of this school?" asked trixy of the one officer who sat apart from the others.
"eh? oh—yes, what is it?"
"lieutenant jermyn, one of your scholars?"
"er—mr. jermyn, do you resent the implication?"
"not for an instant, captain."
"well, little girl, what is it?"
"oh, only if you'd let him out, there's a couple of ladies who'd like to see him very much; i know they would, because one of them said so."
the only really young lieutenant in the room giggled; the others smiled, and the instructor, after regarding the blackboard intently a moment, said:
"mr. jermyn, you may consider yourself excused, if you so desire."
jermyn emerged with his cap in his hand and more than his customary color in his face. trixy took his hand, and led him toward the exit nearest the hotel. looking towards the club, she saw the two officers whom she had met, they having moved their chairs nearer the door that they might observe the proceedings, so she shouted:
"i got him!"
then each warrior chuckled, although trixy did not know it, for she was busily explaining to jermyn why she had come for him, and how hard she had first tried to find the admiral, and jermyn told her not to feel the least concern about the interruption, although at the same time he told himself in entire earnest that he wished that tryphosa wardlow had never married and become the mother of a child like trixy, for when would he ever hear the end of the section-room episode?
but trixy knew nothing of the trouble which she had caused. she prattled without ceasing until she had conducted the officer to her aunt and miss trewman, to whom she said:
"here he is. now, ask him your questions."
jermyn soon ceased to feel provoked. one of the duties of a soldier is to endure anything that may lead to desirable ends. it, therefore, came [pg 76]to pass within an hour that jermyn assured himself that to make himself interesting and useful to two young women like kate and fenie was sufficient compensation for any teasing which his comrades might impose in the future. his feelings must have expressed themselves in his face, for a lull in the conversation was improved by trixy, who said:
"say, mr. jermyn, ain't you glad that i asked your teacher to let you out of school?"
then jermyn had to explain; so did trixy, and the ladies had to feel very uncomfortable.
