“Nell, dear, I haven’t time to talk about uniforms now. You will sleep here to-night. To-morrow I will try to get a room for you at Mr. Bradford’s. I will come in the morning or send you word what to do. I am so sorry to go, but I can’t stay a minute longer. Good-by, my darling.” I was waked the next morning by a voice under my window calling: “Miss Nell! O Miss Nell!” and looking out I saw Dan’s body-servant, Sam, successor to poor Josh, who had died of smallpox. “Mars Dan say, I fotch his love to you, an’ tell you you git right on dem nex’ kyars an’ go straight on ter Orange Court-house, case dar’s too much fightin’ ’roun’ here. An’ he gwine notify you dar when you kin come back. But he say dat if you hear dar’s fightin’ ’roun’ Orange Court-house, den you go straight on ter Richmond, an’ don’t you stop untwell you git dar.” “But I don’t want to go, Sam.” “But Mars Dan he say tell you p’intedly you mus’.” “Ain’t he coming to tell me good-by, Sam?” “Law, Miss Nell! how he gwine do dat when de Yankees is er--overrunnin’ de whole yuth? What’s guine ter become uv de country ef de major leave off fitten de Yankees to humorfy you?” I could not for the life of me, sad as my heart was, keep from laughing at being taken to task by Sam. “Is it so bad as that, Sam?” “Yes’m, dat ’tis! Mars Dan say he ’fraid de Yankees git in de town hyer fo’ night. De Yankees is er pressin’ we all close.” “I can’t see your master at all before I go, Sam?” “Law, Miss Nell; ain’t I done tole you dat? De country will go to de dawgs ef de major stop fitten de Yankees to humorfy you.” “If your master gets hurt, Sam, will you get me word?” “Law, yes, Miss Nell! I sholy will.” “And you’ll take care of him, Sam?” “Dat’s jes what I gwine to do, Miss Nell. _Me_ lef’ de major ef he git hu’t! shuh!” “Good-by, Sam. Tell your master I’m gone.” “Yes’m. He’ll sho be p’intedly glad ter heah dat!” Just fifteen minutes in which to catch the train. We threw things pell-mell into our trunks--there was no vehicle to be had--paid a man to drag them to the depot, and were on our way to Orange in less than half an hour. And I had seen Dan, all told, perhaps fifteen minutes!