"I am well - you are mistaken, Dr. Sandford," I made myself
say quietly.

"For which side are you so anxious?" he inquired. "You are
paler than you ought to be, at this moment, with a smile on
your lips. I got this for you - will you scorn it, or value
it?"

"You would not waste it upon me, if you thought I would scorn
it?" I said.

"I don't know. I am not infatuated about anybody. You may have
the bouquet, Daisy. Will you have it?"

I did not want to have it! I was not amusing myself, as many
and as Mrs. Sandford were doing; this was not an interesting
little bit of greens to me, but a handful of pain. I held it,
as one holds such handfuls; till the regiment, which had
halted a little while at Willard's, was ordered forward and
took the turning from Pennsylvania Avenue into the road
leading to Virginia. With that, the whole regiment burst into
song; I do not know what; a deep-voiced grave melody from a
thousand throats, cheering their advance into the quarter of
the enemy and of actual warfare. I forgot Dr. Sandford then,
whose watchful eyes I generally remembered; I ceased to see
the houses or the people before me; for my eyes grew dim with
tears it was impossible to keep back; and I listened to
nothing but that mellow, ominous, sweet, bitter, strain, till
the sound faded away in the distance. Then I found that my