"
"I don't know how," said her brother, and she saw that his eyes were
heavy. "But I expect the Commander-in-Chief will show me how." And with
these words he went into his study and closed the door for a moment
before David should come, in order that he might get his instructions
from headquarters.
When the boy came in on his crutches, he found a soldierly figure
awaiting him. He saluted, and the tall corporal returned the salute. The
deep eyes of the man met the clear, bright ones of the child, and the
corporal said to the major:
"I am ordered to report to you, sir, that the enemy is encamped on the
opposite shore, and is preparing to attack."
Half an hour afterward Mrs. Thorndyke came anxiously to the door of the
study. Hearing cheerful voices within, she knocked, and was bidden to
enter.
Her first glance was at little David's face. To her surprise, she saw
there neither fear nor nervousness, only an excited shining of the eyes
and an unusual flushing of the cheeks. The boy rose to meet her.
"I'm ready, mammy," he announced in his childish treble.
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