The headquarters of Gen. Lewis Wallace who was at this time in charge of the city of Memphis were soon reached, and Jeanne and her friend were ushered into his presence. A man of medium height, rather slender in build, stern of feature but whose eyes beamed with kindness, serious of mien and visage and habited in a plain suit of blue flannel with two stars upon his shoulders denoting a Major-General in the United States Army, rose to greet them. Full of chivalric dash, possessing a cool head with a capacity for large plans and the steady nerve to execute whatever he conceived, the young General was an interesting figure and Jeanne gazed at him with some curiosity. "So, my little maid," said the General. "You wish to go to New Orleans?" "Yes, sir," answered Jeanne returning his scrutiny modestly. "Do you not know that it will be a difficult matter to do so? Farragut is still storming the batteries of Vicksburg and while a transport goes this morning to take supplies to Captain Davis, and you could go down that far on it, still it is scarcely the time for a girl to make a visit." "I must go, General," said Jeanne firmly. "Will you tell me why, my child?" "I cannot, sir." "But I cannot let you subject yourself to danger unless there is some necessity for it. It seems to me that a mere visit could be postponed until a safer season. Now unless there are urgent reasons for it I feel compelled to forbid your going." "Sir," said Jeanne blushing at her temerity yet speaking boldly notwithstanding, "there are urgent reasons for my going. I do not wish to tell them because they concern the government. But my father would not have let me come had there not been necessity." "You surely do not mean that you are an emissary of the government?" exclaimed the General in surprise. "Why, you are but a little girl." "But exceedingly patriotic, General," interrupted Mr. Huntsworth. "She has given a fair to raise money for the soldiers, made I don't know how many shirts, socks and handkerchiefs and just now emptied her purse to send a soldier home to her parents to be taken care of. Best of all she can relish a pun when she hears one which you will agree is a rare accomplishment for a girl or even a woman. Oh, she is capable of anything." "I believe it," laughed the General. "I fear that I shall have to give up before such a formidable array of accomplishments. Have you really done all those things?" "All but the shirts," answered Jeanne shyly, "mother makes those. You see father works for the government, mother is in the Women's Relief Association and Dick is in the army, so I just had to do something to help too." "I see," said the General. "What is your father's name?" "Richard Vance, sir." "Richard Vance!" exclaimed the General. "Oh! I understand everything now. You shall go to New Orleans, child, if our boats can get you there. The transport will start in an hour. Can you be ready to go by that time?" "I am ready now, sir."