In the morning Sylvia did not refer to what had happened the day before,
so her mother decided not to question her. Grace and Flora both arrived
at an early hour to accompany Sylvia to school. They were eager to hear
how she had happened to be on the schooner which had carried arms to
Fort Sumter from the Charleston Arsenal. But Sylvia did not seem to want
to talk of her adventure, and both the little southern girls were too
polite to question her.

"Father says those guns don't belong to the United States, they belong
to South Carolina."

Sylvia did not reply. She recalled one of her lessons, however, where
she had learned that the United States meant each and every State in the
Union and she remembered what Captain Carleton had said.

"Mother says I may go with you on Saturday, Flora," interrupted Grace;
"I wish it was Friday this minute."

"So do I," agreed Flora laughingly; "and we must teach Sylvia to ride on
one of the ponies this time."

For on the previous visit Sylvia had said that she wished she could ride
as Flora did.

"Oh! Truly? Flora, do you really mean it?" Sylvia asked.

"Of course I do. We will have a ride Saturday afternoon and again
Sunday," replied Flora.