“This will answer your question. This is after the first day’s fight. ‘Lee, having determined not to provoke a decisive battle until the concentration of his army was accomplished, must naturally have resorted to every device in order to complete this concentration before that of his adversary. This was easy for him to do, for two of his three army corps were entirely under his control at the close of the first day. Longstreet was still absent. Pickett’s division had remained at Chambersburg for the purpose of covering the defiles of South Mountain; an order to join the army was forwarded to him, but it could not reach him until the next day. The other two divisions, under McLaws and Hood, had started from Greenwood in the morning, after having successfully aided in the passage of Johnson’s division.’” Colonel Thomas stopped and looked at Elizabeth uneasily. “Go on,” said Elizabeth. “‘They all followed the same road. Messengers were sent to expedite their movements; an extraordinary order which had directed the supply train to pass before them had caused a great loss of time which could not be repaired; in fact, the road, muddy and broken up, was encumbered by vehicles, loaded with provisions and ammunition, that were proceeding in the direction of the battle-field, and by others that were already returning with some of the wounded.’ You see there was dreadful congestion and confusion.” Elizabeth looked at him steadily. “Was that when my grandfather was supposed to have given them help?” “Yes,” answered Colonel Thomas. “They wanted to find another way to get in.” Elizabeth said nothing. But she thought of the old map with its center gone. “But I don’t believe it!” said she stubbornly. Colonel Thomas acted upon impulse. “I have been making some investigations,” said he, quite as though he had not determined to say nothing whatever to Elizabeth about his investigations. “I looked again at General Adams’s letter. His statement about John Baring is followed by a row of asterisks, signifying that something was omitted at that place. They may have forced your grandfather--that would be a mitigation. If I find anything, I’ll straighten the matter out publicly; I promise you that!” Then he rose to go. “My brother will be back soon. I wish he might have seen you.” “I’d like to see him. But I’m a little late for an appointment now. I’ll come another time. I’m old-fashioned and I don’t like to think of you here all by yourself.” “I’m not afraid.” Elizabeth thanked him once more for the books, then she walked with him to his car. She watched it plunge down the mountain-side. Colonel Thomas was apparently afraid neither of speed nor of speed laws. When she returned to her doorstep, she found another visitor, a tall, middle-aged woman in a serviceable blue dress with a white collar. “I came down through the woods,” she explained. “I’m the State nurse.”