At this moment Edith Varney reëntered the room. She had left her hat upstairs with the official-looking envelope, and had taken time to glance at a mirror and then to thrust a red rose in her dark hair. The impressionable young Lieutenant thought she looked prettier than ever. “Lieutenant Maxwell,” she said, extending a folded paper, “here is your receipt——” The butler’s words to some one in the hall interrupted her further speech. “Will you jes’ kin’ly step dis way, suh!” she heard Jonas say, and as Edith turned she found herself face to face with Captain Thorne! CHAPTER III ORDERS TO CAPTAIN THORNE On the sleeves of Captain Thorne’s coat the insignia of a Captain of Confederate Artillery were displayed; his uniform was worn, soiled, and ill-fitting, giving honourable evidence of hard service; his face was pale and thin and showed signs of recent illness, from which he had scarcely recovered. In every particular he was a marked contrast to Lieutenant Maxwell. “Miss Varney,” he said, bowing low. “We were expecting you,” answered Edith, giving her hand to Thorne. “Here’s Captain Thorne, mamma!” Mrs. Varney shook hands with him graciously while her daughter turned once more to the other man, with the acknowledgment of the order, which she handed to him. “I wasn’t so very long writing it, was I, Lieutenant Maxwell?” she asked. “I’ve never seen a quicker piece of work, Miss Varney,” returned that young man, putting the note in his belt and smiling as he did so. “When you want a clerkship over at the Government offices, you must surely let me know.” “You would better not commit yourself,” said Edith jestingly; “I might take you at your word.” “Nothing would please me more,” was the prompt answer. “All you have got to do is just apply, and refer to me, of course.” “Lots of the other girls are doing it,” continued Edith half-seriously. “They have to live. Aren’t there a good many where you are?” “Well, we don’t have so many as they do over at the Treasury. I believe there are more ladies over there than men. And now I must go.” “A moment,” said Mrs. Varney, coming forward with Thorne. “Do you gentlemen know each other?” Captain Thorne shook his head and stepped forward, looking intently at the other. “Let me have the pleasure of making you acquainted, then. Captain Thorne—Lieutenant Maxwell.” Thorne slowly inclined his head. Maxwell also bowed. “I have not had the pleasure of meeting Captain Thorne before, although I have heard of him a great many times,” he said courteously. “Yes?” answered the other, who seemed to be a man of few words. “In fact, Captain, there is a gentleman in one of our offices who seems mighty anxious to pick a fight with you.” “Really!” exclaimed Captain Thorne, smiling somewhat sarcastically; “pick a fight with me! To what office do you refer, sir?” “The War Office, sir,” said Lieutenant Maxwell, rather annoyed, he could not exactly say why.