“Great news, Major,” said Wing, who knew nothing of his officer’s new rise in rank—“great news, sir! I have met with a complete success. I have unearthed Corsoni and delivered him and his band over to our forces.” “That is glorious! Wing, you shall have a lieutenant’s commission for that!” “Thanks, Major; if the new commission is not to remove me from your side,” said the orderly. “Foolish boy! Do you weigh your attachment to me against such an honor as that?” “No; Heaven knows I do not; for my attachment to you would so weigh down the honor that it would send the lieutenant’s commission flying!” “We shall not be separated, Wing. I shall take good care of that. I am going on to W. to take command of a cavalry regiment there. After you are promoted, if you should be found capable of fulfilling the duties of the office, you shall be my adjutant and live at my head quarters. But where were you flying so fast when I met you, Wing?” “To report to you, Colonel.” “At H.?” “Yes, sir.” “Well, you have an opportunity of reporting here. Mount your horse, Wing, and ride on with me. I have managed to get you and Hay detached from your late regiment, and transferred to the one of which I am about to assume the command; so that you may both be near me, as formerly.” “Thanks, Colonel,” answered Wing, springing lightly into his saddle. “Now give me a full report of your expedition, Wing. Yet let it be a brief one, since ‘brevity is the soul of wit.’” “It shall be brief as a military order, my Colonel. When I left the camp, seven days since, with the rebel prisoner’s clothes on my back and the rebel soldier’s pass in my pocket, and _your_ pass rolled up into the compass of a hazel-nut and wrapped in water-proof skin, tucked into my cheek like a quid of tobacco, so that I could even swallow it in a case of extreme emergency, I took the way to L., avoiding the highway and keeping pretty much to the country roads and bridle-paths. I stopped at the farm-houses, ostensibly to procure food or lodging, but really to get information. I passed for a confederate soldier on leave going home to L. to see my friends; and to prove my words true, I showed them the pass that we took from the prisoner William Grill, whom we captured near C.” “But, Wing, there was danger in that.” “Sir, there was danger in every step of the expedition. I was prepared to meet it.” “Brave boy! But suppose you had met with people who knew the person of this William Gill.”