apart from that of the world in general; but forth he came, feeling
strangely, and yet with a strong impulse to fling himself headlong into
the emotion of the moment. It was a beautiful morning, spring-like and
summer-like at once. If there had been nothing else to do or think of,
such a morning was enough for life only to breathe its air and be
conscious of its inspiring influence.

Septimius turned along the road towards the village, meaning to mingle with
the crowd on the green, and there learn all he could of the rumors that
vaguely filled the air, and doubtless were shaping themselves into various
forms of fiction.

As he passed the small dwelling of Rose Garfield, she stood on the
doorstep, and bounded forth a little way to meet him, looking frightened,
excited, and yet half pleased, but strangely pretty; prettier than ever
before, owing to some hasty adornment or other, that she would never have
succeeded so well in giving to herself if she had had more time to do it
in.

"Septimius--Mr. Felton," cried she, asking information of him who, of all
men in the neighborhood, knew nothing of the intelligence afloat; but it
showed a certain importance that Septimius had with her. "Do you really
think the redcoats are coming? Ah, what shall we do? What shall we do? But
you are not going to the village, too, and leave us all alone?"

"I know not whether they are coming or no, Rose," said Septimius, stopping
to admire the young girl's fresh beauty, which made a double stroke upon
him by her excitement, and, moreover, made her twice as free with him as
ever she had been before; for there is nothing truer than that any
breaking up of the ordinary state of things is apt to shake women out of